Pronetowander
Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- July 2019 Primitivo
Sept-Oct 2021 Frances
I am almost home, 22km to Sandiago but my blisters are so bad. Is there anyplace pilgrims can go when we reach the end to get them dressed properly?
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Hola this question has just come up on Facebook. If you need medical care in Santiago or indeed in other larger cities on the Camino routes there are two choices.
You can go to the hospital clĂnico - the city hospital. They will treat you if you have a European health card or insurance, if no insurance they will need your passport and home address and they will send you a bill. You will have to wait - often for a long time. There is a bus to the entrance from the Plaza Galicia
The alternative is to go to the private clinic. In Santiago this is :
The Rosaleda ClĂnico
Rúa de Santiago León de Caracas, 1, 15701 Santiago de Compostela, A Coruña, A Coruña
This is 5 mins from the Plaza Galicia in the direction of the train station.
There is a charge of 60 euros for a consultation with a doctor. You will be seen almost immediately. They expect payment but will give you all you need for your insurers. If you contact your insurers before going they may very well recommend this private clinic.
Equivalents exist in many larger Spanish cities.
I hope that this helps.
John
I got treated actually in an albergue where they had a first aid kit and knew what to doA good person to consult is your hospitalero - they often have a lot of experience with blisters and can give guidance on visiting a medical centre if necessary. Main point is to prevent infection - betadine can help, and cut up pieces of sanitary towel under a plaster or bandage can provide good padding to help ease the pain and prevent the blisters worsening. I am not a doctor or nurse.
Thank you for this useful information.Glad it all worked out well in the end!
Just for future reference, you might find this map useful.
Here you can find all the (public) primary healthcare centers in Galicia. In any of those, there should be both doctors and nurses able and willing to help in these circumstances. Queues should not be so long there as one would expect in hospitals, which are more scattered in the territory and typically devoted to more specialised services within the Spanish health care system. If a private insurance (or EU card) works in a hospital, my guess is that it should definitely work in the primary clinic too, since they both belong to the same system. Should you require more specialised attention, no doubt hospitals are the first place to go. You can also find them in the previous link.
Similarly, other regions in Spain will have their own web of health centers (competencies in health issues are transferred to regions, Comunidades AutĂłnomas, in Spain). They come under names such as Centro de Salud, Centro de AtenciĂłn Primaria, Centro de SaĂşde, Centre d'AtenciĂł PrimĂ ria, or the like.
In any case, I wish you do not have to use much of these services as it will mean that you are having a smoother camino!
Can I ask you guys which medical insurance you purchased? Leaving September 4th and about to purchase someThere are also clinics in many towns. My wife got treated for her blisters in one and our travel insurance paid the 60 euro charge.