Denia is a small town on the Costa Blanca and it has a brand new hospital which has now been open for almost a year. We have just had first hand experience of the hospital and the treatment it provides for the community. It has been a good experience for the most part.
My husband needed a prostate operation and we arrived on the morning of the operation at 7am having been given instructions a week before ,by telephone,in English.This was very impressive I thought.We were greeted by a very kind gentleman at the reseption desk at 7am ,along with about a dozen others,all with their partner’s or a member of their family.One young Spanish lad ,who was obviously a bit of a wag, likened it to a day trip to Benidorm as all of those there were at least in their 60’s and possibly older.
The charming gentleman guided all of us to the respective wards and left us in the capable hands of the nursing staff of that particular ward.Here is where problems can arise .I ( or possibly my husband!) was lucky in that I have some Spanish and I was able to help my husband and the staff by communicating back and fore.Without this it was the “luck of the draw” as to whether you had a nurse or doctor who could speak English.
My husband had a private room with en-suite bathroom.There was a state of the art bed,a bed settee and a chair which extended electrically ,when needed by the patients.I was able to sllep in the room and helped to care for him .This is an essential part of the Spanish hospital scene and it works.It helps the patients to recover more quickly it seems.
The nursing was excellent, the surgeons were approachable and explained everything to us , the floor of the room was washed every day, windows were cleaned, food arrived at all of the appropriate times. However this family involvement is very important because the fetching and carrying is done by the family. It is they who keep an eye on the drips and drains. It is they who “look out ” for the patient and their “needs”, whatever they might be.Without this then the stay in hospital might be much more stressful for the patients. The only down side of the stay was the food, and that is another story.
