John Culatto
AUTHORITIES in Gibraltar have reminded its residents that they need to take out private medical insurance cover – even for emergencies – when they go over to Spain.
This is the situation since December 31, 2020 so even life-saving surgery would need to be paid for by those needing treatment.
It is one of the many impacting consequences of Brexit, which has removed an important safety net for Gibraltar’s population.
The Gibraltar Health Authority (GHA) said that they were answering to recent questions on the topic.
“Residents of Gibraltar should ensure that they have appropriate travel insurance with medical cover each time they go to Spain,” the GHA said in a statement.
This is the case even if local people go over just for a shopping trip or a meal, the GHA reminded.
“The same applies when travelling elsewhere in the EU,” the GHA said.
It said that ‘the costs incurred may be considerable’ for access to Spanish or EU healthcare systems.
The GHA said it could not make itself responsible for any claims by people who need healthcare in this sort of scenario.
There was a short bridging period until the end of June 2022, but since that also ended Gibraltarians are now third country citizens in Spain.
The Rock is currently working out an EU deal with Spain to remove the frontier between the two nations.
But the complex negotiations have now gone into their third year, with both sides still thrashing out major details.
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