For all those that reside within the twenty seven counties of the EU taking the E111 card is a must. This is issued from you own country and entitles the holder to free emergency treatment.
I can assure all that the Spanish hospitals are as good as the UK and better than Ireland. Unfortunately, while on my second Camino, I was taken to hospital by an ambulance from an Albergue. I had become very sore while walking, pain killers did not help. The guy at the albergue was a medical student and said I would have to go to hospital. It was strange being taken from the Camino to hospital, the contrast between my life every day on the Camino and straight into the 21st century in an ambulance and into the emergency department of a hospital.
I received excellent care and was discharged about six hours later, I waited no time at all to see a doctor – quite amazing. I had a hernia, a couple of days rest and I was back walking another 300km to Santiago – full of pain-killers. Maybe not too smart, but I wanted to finish. (Got the operation done in Vienna, now if you ever need medical help that is the country to be in – first class and free)
Anyway, the medical service I have found in Spain is good. If you have a minor aliment go and speak to a pharmacist, they will help and diagnose in these situation and tell you to visit a doctor if they believe it to be more serious.
If you are not resident within the EU, please get health insurance to cover for your whole trip. My problem was minor – I was in an Albergue one night when a woman fell in the shower and broke her arm. Ambulance to hospital, plaster on her arm and then back to the albergue – if you do not have insurance this will cost – without insurance minor problems turn into major headaches – especially if you have to go home before your return flight.
Spain is a fully developed modern country, I say this because of some of the mails I get from pilgrims asking what things will be like there, fine, it will be fine.