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Altea · Health and support
Health and support

Health and support

Salud y ayuda social

Where to see a doctor, what happens in an emergency, which pharmacy is open at night — and who helps when the problem is not paperwork but life itself.

This is not a page of Altea Town Council. alteamar.es is a private site and not a public authority: we do not accept applications or advise on individual cases. Only information from the competent office is binding: san.gva.es ↗. Like a directory, we gather here what is otherwise spread across many websites: an overview, not instructions.

Modern cream-coloured building with a row of windows and a covered entrance on black steel posts; signs on the wall read “Centre de Salut d’Altea” and “Urgències”. A street with bollards in front, cloudy sky.
The Centre de Salut d’Altea with its emergency service (Urgències) Open Street View →Photo: Axel Voigts

Contact

Emergencies
112 — the Generalitat’s emergency service, also in English, French and German (according to 112 CV)
Health centre
Centro de Salud de Altea
Carrer Galotxa s/n, 03590 Altea
966 81 61 30 · emergency service 966 81 61 35Show on the map
Old town surgery
Consultorio Casco Antiguo
Carrer Vilajoiosa 3, 03590 Altea
966 81 61 20Show on the map
Altea la Vella surgery
Consultorio Altea la Vella
C/ Cura Llinares 1, Altea la Vella
966 81 62 20Show on the map
Hospital
Hospital Marina Baixa
Av. Alcalde En Jaume Botella Mayor s/n
03570 La Vila Joiosa
966 907 200Show on the map
Red Cross
Cruz Roja Altea
Carrer Consell, 03590 Altea
965 84 31 83Show on the map
Social services
Centro Social, Carrer Marina Baixa
965 84 30 75Show on the map

Opening hours

PeriodPublic opening
Health centre, Monday to Friday8:00–21:00 (July to September 8:00–15:00)
Old town surgery, Monday to Friday8:00–15:00
Altea la Vella surgery, Monday to Friday8:00–15:00
Emergency service (Urgències) at the health centreMonday to Friday 15:00–8:00; Saturdays, Sundays and holidays around the clock
Hospital Marina Baixa, accident and emergencyaround the clock

The emergency service (Urgències) at the health centre is staffed even when the ordinary surgery is closed — online listings often show this incorrectly.

Opening hours change. Please check before going: marinabaixa.san.gva.es

Departments and contacts

  • Family medicineGeneral practice, assigned by home address; change of doctor on request (libre elección)
  • PaediatricsChildren’s medicine at the health centre
  • NursingBlood tests, dressings, vaccinations, blood pressure
  • UrgènciesEmergency service outside ordinary surgery hours
  • Red CrossPatient transport, courses, social support
  • Social servicesMunicipal social advice

Step by step: applying for the SIP health card

  1. Register firstThe empadronamiento at the town hall. Without the registration certificate nothing else follows.
  2. Establish your coverAnyone working here is covered through social security. EU pensioners need form S1 from their home scheme. Otherwise the Conselleria’s special agreement (convenio especial) or private insurance applies.
  3. Assemble the documentsPassport, NIE, registration certificate and proof of cover.
  4. Go to the health centreThe SIP is applied for at the health centre.
  5. Be assigned a doctorThe allocation follows your address; a change of doctor can be requested (libre elección).

What is handled here

  • GP appointments — by telephone (966 81 61 30), through the Conselleria’s patient portal or at the desk
  • Emergency service (Urgències) — no appointment, outside ordinary hours
  • SIP card — application, renewal, change of address
  • European Health Insurance Card — sufficient for EU visitors
  • Prescriptions — electronic, collected with the SIP at pharmacies in the Valencian Community
  • Vaccinations and screening
  • Patient transport — via 112 or the Red Cross
  • Emergency social assistance — food, rent, utilities, via social services

What to bring

  • SIP card or European Health Insurance Card
  • Passport or identity card and NIE
  • Registration certificate from Altea
  • Form S1 for EU pensioners
  • A list of your medication, preferably by active ingredient

The documents required change with the rules. Current list: san.gva.es

Good to know

The active ingredient helps more than the brand name. Foreign brand names mean nothing here; with the substance and the dose any pharmacy will find the equivalent.

Duty pharmacies follow a rota set by the pharmacists’ association. Which one is open is posted in every pharmacy window and listed at cofalicante.com.

For visitors from the EU the European Health Insurance Card is enough. It covers necessary treatment, not repatriation — that needs travel insurance.

Frequently asked questions

I am only here a few months a year. Can I get a SIP?

Not without registering. For temporary stays the European Health Insurance Card is enough.

Is treatment available in English?

Some doctors speak English, but it is not guaranteed. For important appointments bring someone who can interpret.

What about weekends?

The emergency service (Urgències) at the health centre is staffed. In serious cases call 112 or go straight to accident and emergency at Hospital Marina Baixa in La Vila Joiosa.

Who helps in financial hardship?

The municipal social services are the first port of call; they assess entitlements and refer on. The Red Cross provides further support.

Map

Map from Google Maps

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Related pages

Addresses, telephone numbers and hours of the health centre, surgeries and hospital checked October 2026 (source: marinabaixa.san.gva.es). Cáritas Altea works through the parish; ask for opening hours at Santa Maria del Consol (965 84 01 17). Phone numbers without an official source reflect the position in October 2026; please check before calling.