Community Guidance

If you are on the Spanish health system

Have your medical card and TIE to hand. Do not forget your FAST red folder (see the section below).

If you are not on the health system

Have your passport, insurance documents and EHIC or GHIC to hand.

The 112 app

Download the 112RegiondeMurcia app. More details of the 112 app can be found under Featured in the Preguntas group.

These red folders contain forms about your medical history for you to complete. The folder can be handed to ambulance medics or to FAST during an emergency call-out. You can collect one from:

• Sector A: Alens Supermarket, Taquila Tickets
• Sector B: Gestoria Carvajal, Compusurf, MABS and The Cultural Centre
• Sector C: Golf Club Pro Shop, Age Concern
• Sector D: Launderette, St. Nicholas Church

If you are on the health system

Go to your surgery and explain that you need to see a doctor that day. If none is available, go to your local A&E department (see the A&E section for more information).

If you are not on the health system

Contact your private clinic or insurer if you have one, or contact a private doctor. If you cannot get an appointment, go to your local A&E department (see the A&E section for more information).

If on the health system: take your medical card and TIE with you.
If not on the health system: take your passport, insurance documents if you have them, and EHIC or GHIC.

Mazarrón

Before 3pm, go into the centre and report to reception. After 3pm, go to the side entrance where the ambulances park, where there is a reception desk and a waiting area.

Puerto de Mazarrón

With thanks to Alex Woods, Translator: we understand that the A&E department re-opened on 26 June and possibly for the 24/7 hours that had been campaigned for.

Santa Lucía, Cartagena

Open 24/7. Report to the desk and show your referral note or explain your issue.

Fuente Álamo

The Salud will see emergencies 24/7. There is an ambulance on site to take cases to A&E in Cartagena if necessary.

• Rosell, geriatric ward: no restrictions.
• Santa Lucía, URG and UPI: 14:00 and 21:00. A nurse will call out the patients' names when it is the right time to visit. Maximum of 2 people per patient per visit.

Most hospitals allow visitors at any time apart from Observation or Urgency wards. Most allow a family member or friend to stay overnight in the recliner chair. Please note, visitors should not use the in-ward toilet. In Santa Lucía, the visitor toilets on the wards are near the lifts.

Floor plans for Rosell and Santa Lucía hospitals can be found in the Friends of Santa Lucía Hospital Facebook group, in the Featured section.

• Rosell: the Carrefour car park is open 9:00 to 22:00, with a discount if you buy something in Carrefour.
• Santa Lucía: A&E drop off (expensive), a large general car park with reasonable charges, or the road by the first turn on the roundabout is free.
• Los Pinos: a large free car park at the back and side of the hospital.
• Imatec Imaging Centre, Cartagena: parking off the road outside.
• Hospital Perpetuo Socorro: paid parking across the dual carriageway.

Duty chemists

Search Google for Farmacias de Guardia plus your location. This shows a list of chemists with their location and hours. Please note you may need to ring the doorbell for attention.

Pharmacy at Santa Lucía hospital

Turn right by the A&E car park and follow the road as far as you can go. It is on that road, on the right edge of the hospital. It has limited hours and you may need an appointment.

Hospital WiFi

Santa Lucía: there is a QR code outside the ward, on the wall by the lift and the waiting area (you may need to re-scan each day). You may also find details under the TV on the ward. Many people recommend using your own data, as the hospital service can be unstable.

Rosell: free basic access. Select the guest network and follow the login and registration prompts. A premium paid option is also available.

Hospital restaurants and cafes

Santa Lucía: top floor, open every day. Rosell: cafe on the ground floor, opening hours unconfirmed.

Blood pressure checks

Most pharmacies will check your blood pressure. FAST Camposol will check it at their Friday stall (Alley Palais) from 10:30 to 12:30. Your medical centre will also check it.

If you have your prescription with you, take it to a pharmacy; they may be able to provide the medication, but you will pay the full price.

If you do not have your prescription but you have the box, take it to the pharmacy and they will let you know whether you need a prescription from a private doctor.

Mazarrón

Before 3pm: go to the main entrance, turn right towards X-ray, turn left at X-ray and walk to the end, then turn left to the physio department. There is an office inside.

After 3pm: enter via Urgencias, go through the waiting area, walk straight past X-ray and then as above.

Please note there is a warning on the wall about missed appointments: three strikes and you are out. If you cannot attend, contact them to explain. The waiting list for physio is very long.

If you are on the health system and have been waiting a while, you can go privately in the meantime. Ask your doctor for recommendations. It is important to have all your medical paperwork for your issue to present to the private physiotherapist. Prices vary but can start as low as 35 euros, and you can still use your health system physio if needed.

You may be sent to various hospitals, both state and private. Below are some examples of the procedure.

Los Pinos, Cartagena

Use Google for directions (tested recently). The X-ray, scan and MRI departments are at the back corner of the building and down some steps. Report to reception on your right. You will need your referral, medical card and TIE if on the health system, or your referral, passport or TIE and payment (before the test) if not. The receptionist will give you a number and tell you where to wait, as different areas are used for different tests. Keep an eye on the screen for your number; you may also be called. When your test is complete, the nurse will tell you to go back to reception, where they will tell you whether to wait for results, that results will be ready in a number of days, or that they will be sent directly to your doctor.

Imatec Imaging Centre, Cartagena

With thanks to Alice Harrington. Although this is a private centre, you may be referred here from the public system for an MRI or ultrasound. English is spoken. Parking is off the road outside. Ultrasound results are given after a 10 minute wait; return in 10 days for MRI results.

Mammogram at Hospital Perpetuo Socorro, Cartagena

There is paid parking across the dual carriageway. The entrance for mammograms is round the back of the hospital: as you face the front, walk to the left corner and head down to the next corner, turn right, and the marked entrance is a few steps away. At the reception desk, hand over your appointment details, medical card and TIE. You will be given a form to fill in (available in English if you do not understand Spanish), then your form back and a ticket. Go down the stairs, or use the lift next to the stairs; at the bottom, turn right to reach the mammogram area and hand your paperwork to the technician. As of July 2026, results take about 2 months to be sent to your Salud. There is a small cafe for a snack and a drink.

If you are on the health system and have been waiting a while for a mammogram, scan or MRI, you can ask your doctor to refer you privately and suggest where. The costs are probably not as high as you might imagine. As examples, a bone density scan can be from 40 euros and an MRI from 160 euros.

You may need a translator; a translator list is available in the community files.

Rosell and Santa Lucía: put your medical card into the ticket machine by reception to check in, then go to the department and speak to the receptionist. You will be called when they are ready. Floor plans for both hospitals can be found in the Friends of Santa Lucía Hospital Facebook group.