Diabetic and Cardio

[Nige Hoar]

Hi folks,  
My wife and I have had a dream to live on Fuerteventura ever since I first visited the island back in 2008 and nothing has changed but over the last two years I have had some health issues and my wife has an ongoing permanent problem with Type 1 Diabetes. Were we to retire to Fv we were wondering if there is a diabetic dept at the general hospital in Puerto Del Rosario or any Health Service clinics? I can only find info on type 2.....We would both need regular checks, in particular, my wife would need insulin and needles etc. Any help would be very much appreciated. I have a heart condition and subsequent lung and kidney problems, currently well under control. Does anyone know if the cardiology dept there is top notch or below par? I would think that there are quite a few retirees out there with similar issues. How do you manage? Has the constant good Weather had benefits to your health?
Cheers for any help.

[TamaraEnLaPlaya]

Hi Nige. Welcome to the forum!

Please have a look at the info available through this link:

http://healthcareinspain.eu/about-us/

I spoke to one of the ladies who works in the Madrid office a couple of years ago (the Madrid office covered The Canaries, at least at that time) and she couldn't have been nicer and more helpful. I was making enquiries for a friend who needed ongoing drugs and care for her cancer treatment and who like yourself needed to know in advance if her specific needs could be met. So please, read the various sections and then give them a ring/email.

I don't personally know anyone with you and your wife's conditions so I can't answer from that perspective but I hope this starts the ball rolling for you. I don't wish the conditions on other people but hopefully there will be a forum member who can answer at least some of queries first-hand!

Keep us up to date with progress and hopefully we will welcome you as full-time residents in the near future.

[erik_tonny]

Sorry Nige, I don't have the answers you are hoping for;
Cardiology: Last January a Spanish friend living on Fuerteventura was put on the list for open heart  surgery in Las Palmas (heart valve + aorta).
He wrote us yesterday that he is still waiting for a date!

Weather: The Weather is the main reason why most to move to Fuerteventura.
But for people with a lung condition it can be hell when the calima (sand storm from Africa) strikes.
Since some time I am a COPD patient and a "good" calima always results in a pneumonia. One of the main reasons we left.
Spaniards who can afford it, all go to the mainland for medical treatment.

[Nige Hoar]

Thanks for that. I'm aware of the calima storms and although I too suffer from copd, so far none of them have had an adverse effect on me.

[Nige Hoar]

Hi Tamara, many thanks for the info, I will certainly chase that up! We're off on a road trip to Spain soon with no set itinerary so can easily call into their offices maybe...