SPAIN has granted free healthcare to ‘anyone who is not a legal resident,’ the Ministry of Health has announced – sparking fears that the move could push already-strained hospitals to the limit.
Approved by the Spanish parliament on Tuesday, the decree promises free access to all public healthcare services ‘without prepayment or bureaucratic hurdles,’ according to official statements.
Until now, undocumented migrants could get treatment in Spain’s hospitals – but only after registering as residents. Children, pregnant women, and emergency cases were treated automatically, paperwork or not.
Under the new rules, however, applicants simply need to submit a ‘declaracion responsable’ — a sworn statement declaring they live in Spain — which the ministry estimates will fast-track care for thousands of people living in the country without documentation.
Monica Garcia Gomez, Spain’s minister of health, said: “We have permanently torn down all administrative hurdles in healthcare.
“If you live in Spain, you have a right to healthcare.”
The announcement sparked fury from the opposition, with right-wing Vox branding the law a ‘collapse risk’ for Spain’s overstretched health system.
“Are they trying to bring our public health system to its knees?” demanded Ignacio Garriga, Vox’s secretary general and vicepresident.
“We are not an NGO. We are not a charity. We are not the world’s hospital,” he added.
The row comes as Spain’s public healthcare system is already creaking under mounting pressure.
Spain’s 2024 national health report – the latest available – showed that average waiting times for specialist appointments jumped from 65 days in 2014 to 105 days in 2024.
Health planning and economics professor Jose Ramon Repullo told El Pais last week that Spain’s system was ‘bursting at the seams’ under the strain of long waiting lists.
“Visits to family doctors have dropped while emergency room visits have shot up — a sign that primary care is collapsing,” he warned.
The move also comes alongside sweeping changes to Spain’s migration policy. Earlier this year, the government unveiled plans to regularise around 500,000 undocumented migrants currently living in the country.
READ MORE: Undocumented migrants to get full access to public healthcare the minute they arrive in Spain
Migrants who arrived before the end of 2025 and have no criminal record will now be able to apply for legal residency and work permits — giving them access to formal employment and public services.
The measure has drawn fierce criticism from opposition parties. Alberto Nuñez Feijoo of the conservative Partido Popular warned the policy could ‘overwhelm our public services’, echoing widespread concerns about the strain on Spain’s already stretched hospitals and clinics.
Government officials, however, say the policy will strengthen the economy, with migration minister Elma Saiz insisting the measure is ‘compatible with economic growth and social cohesion.’
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This is INSANE!