Benidorm hospitals, health centres and pharmacies

Call 112 for any medical emergency and ask for an ambulance; the line also handles police and fire. This page lists where to go and how cover works; it is not medical advice. For police, crime reporting and the SATE tourist office, see is Benidorm safe?.

Benidorm's public hospital is Hospital Marina Baixa at Avenida Alcalde en Jaume Botella Mayor 7 in Villajoyosa, just south of Benidorm. It is the public hospital the council lists in its own emergency numbers for Benidorm's beaches.

With a valid EHIC, UK GHIC or Provisional Replacement Certificate, medically necessary treatment in the public system is free or reduced-cost, on the same basis as for Spanish residents. Bring your card and passport. For getting there by public transport, the TRAM L1 stops in Villajoyosa; see getting around Benidorm.

For problems that need a doctor but not a hospital, use a public health centre (centro de salud). The new Rincón de Loix health centre on Calle Zamora, next to the Antonio López football pitches, opened on 2 March 2026 and serves residents and tourists staying in the area's hotels and apartments.

It has a separate continuous-care area with three doctors' rooms, a nursing room, a resuscitation room, an observation room and a 24-hour patient care centre with basic X-ray. Other public centres include Tomás Ortuño in the centre and Foietes on Calle Venezuela.

Benidorm's health centres close in the afternoons in summer, a schedule that runs until October, and a council statement in July 2026 said people needing urgent care when Tomás Ortuño is closed go to the Rincón de Loix centre.

Visit Benidorm lists two private hospitals in town, both with 24-hour emergency departments and multilingual staff.

An EHIC or UK GHIC covers state healthcare only, never private treatment. The UK government warns that hotels may call private doctors or ambulances that take you to a private hospital, where the card is not accepted and you will be asked for payment or insurance details.

Pharmacies (farmacias) are a good first stop for minor problems: pharmacists can advise on over-the-counter treatments and tell you when you need a doctor. Opening hours vary from pharmacy to pharmacy, so check the door before you rely on one.

Outside normal hours, one pharmacy in each area stays open on a rota as the farmacia de guardia. The Spanish pharmacists' council (farmaceuticos.com) lists duty pharmacies for Alicante province online. Your hotel reception can also tell you which one is open.

Expect to need a prescription for antibiotics: Spain's medicines agency has run campaigns with pharmacists on dispensing them correctly.

Bring enough of any regular medicine for the whole trip, in its original packaging, with a copy of your prescription. A UK prescription can be used in Spain, but medicines are not free: with a GHIC or EHIC you pay 50% of the price, or 10% with a UK State Pension, and the charge cannot be refunded.

Controlled drugs need a letter from your prescriber, and some medicines legal at home are regulated differently in Spain. Long-stay visitors bringing more than three months' supply should check with a Spanish consulate first.

Only some basic dental treatment is available in the Spanish state system, and the UK government notes that most people in Spain use private dentists. Expect to pay a private dentist directly and claim on your travel insurance; check your policy's dental limit before you go.

For accessible beaches and adapted transport, see accessible Benidorm. If you are driving to a hospital or clinic, check parking in Benidorm, as Avenida Alfonso Puchades, home of Clínica Benidorm, is among the streets Visit Benidorm lists in the low-emission zone; licensed Benidorm taxis avoid the problem.