Emergency medical treatment for allergies

[Kay]

My husband and I are planning to walk the last 100 km of Camino Frances the last half of October. Last summer we found out the hard way that he has a deadly allergy to fire ants. He carries two Epi-pens at all times, but would need to get to a hospital immediately for medical treatment in the event of an encounter. Are there fire ants there? Are there hospitals or other emergency services along the way?

[Covey]

The Spanish medical system is excellent and the nearest large hospital at the Sarria end of your walk is Lugo. I spent 5 days in the Lugo hospital last year when I picked up blood poisoning and I could not fault the way they looked after me, or the standards of the Lugo hospital.

The other end of your walk is Santiago, and again they have an excellent main hospital. All the albergues have phone numbers for the local doctors and clinics.

If you live in an EC country, then you need to carry your European Health Card which is issued by your national health service/ministry. This will get you free treatment in Spain and the bill is sent to your national health ministry. If you come from outside the EC then you need to take out private travel insurance to cover medical bills and the hospitals will want to see evidence of your policy and who they send the bills to! Before buying your medical insurance, you should check that they will cover an existing condition which is your husbands allergy. Medical insurance companies have some funny rules regarding existing conditions, and what they will, and will not cover.

As to Fire Ants, I am not sure what they are, or if they exist in Northern Spain. Google mentions fire ants in southern Spain but they seem to like hot dry places. You will be walking through Galecia in October where it tends to rain a lot, so it might not be so much of a threat. I have walked the Sarria to Santiago stage five times and cannot ever remember seeing ants, but I presume it only takes one in your husbands case.

[Gazza]

Kay
Spain Hospitals Beginning with C

This link will take you to a list of Spanish Hospitals. Might be best to contact one of them to get clarification & put yourself at ease