If someone is in immediate danger in Marbella, call 112 for the emergency services or 061 for a medical emergency. Both are public emergency numbers. This guide explains the next steps for less urgent care, public healthcare and private treatment, but it is not medical advice.
Marbella has public hospitals and health centres as well as private hospitals, clinics, ambulances and home-doctor services. They do not all work under the same payment or insurance arrangements. The safest starting point is to decide whether the situation is an emergency, then confirm the provider and cover before non-emergency treatment.
Which number or service should you use?
| Situation | What to do |
|---|---|
| Immediate danger or a serious emergency | Call 112, the free European emergency number, or 061, Andalucía’s public medical-emergency line. Follow the call handler’s instructions. |
| Urgent problem that is not an immediate emergency | The Junta de Andalucía says urgent care is available through health centres with an urgent-care unit during their opening hours and through out-of-hours health-centre or hospital emergency services. Call Salud Responde on 955 54 50 60 for information about the public system. |
| Routine or planned care | Use your assigned public health centre if you are registered and eligible, or contact a private provider covered by your policy. Confirm appointments, fees and insurance authorisation before attending. |
Do not delay a public emergency call while checking insurance or trying to contact a private provider. The 112 service coordinates ambulance, police and fire assistance; 061 is Andalucía’s direct public medical-emergency line and operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Public healthcare in Marbella
Hospital Universitario Costa del Sol is the area’s public specialist hospital. The Andalusian Health Service lists it at Carretera Nacional 340, kilometre 187, 29603 Marbella. Its official centre page gives the main switchboard as 951 97 66 69 and an urgent-care contact as 951 03 14 37. For an active emergency, call 112 or 061 rather than relying on a hospital switchboard.
For primary care, residents registered with the Andalusian public health system are assigned to a local health centre. The official directory includes Centro de Salud Las Albarizas at Avenida Las Albarizas, s/n, 29600 Marbella. Appointments and public-health information are also available through ClicSalud+, the Salud Andalucía and Salud Responde apps, or Salud Responde on 955 54 50 60.
Eligibility for public healthcare depends on a person’s circumstances, such as work, social-security status, residence and applicable agreements. Visitors and new residents should not assume they are covered. Ask the Andalusian Health Service or the authority that issued your health cover to confirm your position.
EHIC and GHIC: what visitors should know
A valid European Health Insurance Card, known as an EHIC, gives an eligible visitor access to medically necessary, state-provided healthcare during a temporary stay under the same conditions and at the same cost as people insured in Spain. It does not cover private healthcare or planned treatment and is not a replacement for travel insurance.
UK visitors may use a valid UK-issued EHIC or Global Health Insurance Card, known as a GHIC, for medically necessary state healthcare. Current UK travel advice warns that hotels or other intermediaries may call a private doctor or ambulance and that EHIC and GHIC cards are not accepted for private treatment. Check where you are being taken and contact your insurer or medical-assistance company when it is safe to do so.
Using private healthcare
Private treatment can be used through insurance or direct payment, but cover varies by provider, procedure and policy. Before non-emergency care, ask:
- Is the hospital or clinic registered as a healthcare provider?
- Does your insurer require pre-authorisation or an in-network provider?
- What does the quoted fee include, and could diagnostics, specialists, transport or follow-up be billed separately?
- Which languages are available for consent forms and clinical discussions?
- How will you receive the report, prescription and itemised receipt?
Spain’s Ministry of Health maintains a public register of hospitals. Its entry for Helicópteros Sanitarios Hospital, the correct spelling of the provider’s name, classifies it as a private general hospital in Marbella and records that it has no public-system agreement. The provider’s own website advertises a 24-hour home-doctor and emergency service, with separate numbers for emergencies, administration and appointments. Those are provider statements, not a Marbella Daily ranking or endorsement.
If considering this or any other private provider, confirm the current service, location, price and insurance acceptance directly. A private membership or ambulance service is separate from Andalucía’s public 112 and 061 emergency response.
A simple preparation checklist
- Save 112 and 061 in your phone.
- Carry your health card and insurance details, but do not delay an emergency call to find them.
- Check whether your cover applies to public care, private care or both.
- For routine care, verify the provider in the official register and get costs in writing.
- Keep treatment reports, prescriptions and itemised receipts for any insurance claim.
For a broader introduction to schools, costs and neighbourhoods, read Marbella Daily’s Living in Marbella guide. Recent local health reporting is collected in the Health and Safety section.
Last checked: 4 August 2026. This independent guide is for general information only and is not medical advice. It is not sponsored, and Marbella Daily has not independently assessed clinical outcomes or ranked healthcare providers. Contact the relevant authority, provider and insurer for current eligibility, hours, fees and cover.
Official sources
- Junta de Andalucía: urgent and emergency care (accessed 4 August 2026)
- Junta de Andalucía: 061 medical emergency service (accessed 4 August 2026)
- Junta de Andalucía: Salud Responde (accessed 4 August 2026)
- Andalusian Health Service: Hospital Universitario Costa del Sol (accessed 4 August 2026)
- Andalusian Health Service: Centro de Salud Las Albarizas (accessed 4 August 2026)
- Your Europe: health cover for temporary stays (accessed 4 August 2026)
- UK government: Spain health advice (accessed 4 August 2026)
- Spanish Ministry of Health: Helicópteros Sanitarios Hospital register entry (accessed 4 August 2026)
- Helicópteros Sanitarios: Marbella contact and service information (provider source, accessed 4 August 2026)
