How do you see an English-speaking doctor in Tenerife?
An English-speaking doctor in Tenerife is reached three ways: a public centro de salud, a private resort clinic or a video consultation. The health centre sees EU and UK visitors with an EHIC or GHIC, though English is not guaranteed. Video doctors consult in English, usually within 15 minutes, daily 7am–11pm CET, 6am–10pm Canary time.
Which three routes reach a doctor in Tenerife and Gran Canaria?
Three routes work across the Canaries. The public centro de salud sees EU and UK visitors who show an EHIC or GHIC and a passport. Private resort clinics see anyone, usually in English, for a fee that travel insurance normally covers. Mobi Doctor's doctors see adults over video, usually within 15 minutes, daily 7am–11pm CET.
- For an emergency, call 112; it answers in Spanish, English and German.
- Otherwise take your EHIC or GHIC and passport to the nearest centro de salud.
- Ask reception to register you as a visiting patient and book a family doctor.
- Out of hours, read the notice on the door for the covering point or hospital.
- For guaranteed English, choose a private clinic or start from our doctors in Tenerife page.
The same steps apply on Gran Canaria; our doctors in Gran Canaria page carries the local details. Private clinics in the resorts do not accept either card. Our guide to healthcare in Spain for visitors covers the system.
Which number do you call in the Canaries and mainland Spain?
Call 112 for any emergency anywhere in Spain; it is free and answers day and night. In the Canary Islands, 112 is the only number, and the 1-1-2 Canarias centre takes calls in Spanish, English or German. In Andalucía you can also dial 061 for a health emergency.
There is no 061 in the Canaries. On the mainland most regions follow the same pattern as Andalucía: a centro de salud with an urgent-care unit by day, and the nearest hospital's urgencias at night and weekends. Andalucía's 112 answers in Spanish, English, French, German and Arabic.
On the Costa del Sol both numbers work; our doctors in Málaga page and the one for doctors in Marbella list the local clinics. On the Costa Blanca there is no 061, so dial 112; the doctors in Alicante page and the doctors in Benidorm page cover those resorts. Our page on urgent care in Spain explains the urgencias system.
How do you see a doctor in Portugal and Madeira?
Portugal asks you to phone first. SNS 24 on 808 24 24 24 is the national health line, staffed day and night; press 9 for English. A health professional sends you to a centro de saúde, a hospital urgência or home with advice. Madeira and Porto Santo have their own health line, 800 24 24 20.
Official guidance is to call before going to an urgência, and to call 112 if life is at risk. At the centro de saúde, your EHIC or GHIC and passport get you treated on the same terms as a Portuguese patient. Without the card, obtain a Provisional Replacement Certificate from your home insurer before you leave Portugal, or pay and claim it back.
Algarve visitors can start from our doctors in the Algarve page, and Funchal visitors from our doctors in Madeira page. Our guide to healthcare in Portugal for visitors explains the SNS; our page on urgent care in Portugal covers the urgência network.
When are the video doctors available in local time?
Mobi Doctor's doctors are available daily 7am–11pm CET. The Canary Islands, Madeira and mainland Portugal keep Western European Time, one hour behind Madrid all year. So they are on from 6am to 10pm by the clock in Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Funchal and the Algarve.
| Base | Local clock (daily 7am–11pm CET) | Emergency and health line |
|---|---|---|
| Tenerife | 6am–10pm | 112 (English spoken) |
| Gran Canaria | 6am–10pm | 112 (English spoken) |
| Madeira | 6am–10pm | 112; health line 800 24 24 20 |
| Algarve | 6am–10pm | 112; SNS 24: 808 24 24 24 |
| Málaga | 7am–11pm | 112 or 061 |
| Marbella | 7am–11pm | 112 or 061 |
| Alicante | 7am–11pm | 112 |
| Benidorm | 7am–11pm | 112 |
Does GHIC or EHIC work in Spain and Portugal?
Yes, in both countries and on all their islands. The EHIC gives you medically necessary state healthcare during a temporary stay, at the same cost as people insured in that country. It does not cover private care or the flight home, and it is not an alternative to travel insurance. Once you move your residence it stops being valid.
The UK GHIC covers state care that cannot reasonably wait until you are back in the UK, including routine care for long-term conditions. Dialysis or chemotherapy is arranged before you travel. The card is issued only to people ordinarily resident in the UK.
Long-stay healthcare in Spain and Portugal: S1 or insurance?
Three months is the line. UK nationals can spend 90 days in any 180 in the Schengen area without a visa. EU citizens can be asked to register residence after three months. Once you register as a resident, the EHIC or GHIC stops being valid and the S1 form or local registration takes over.
- Pensioners: the country paying your state pension issues an S1 form (UK pensioners: NHS Overseas Healthcare Services).
- Register the S1 with the INSS in Spain or the Centro Distrital de Segurança Social in Portugal.
- Working-age movers register as residents and join through employment or contributions.
- In Spain the convenio especial opens after a year on the padrón; hold private insurance until then.
How do you find a pharmacy in Tenerife or the Algarve?
A pharmacy is open near you at every hour, and both countries publish the rota. In Spain the farmacia de guardia rota is on the General Council of Pharmacists' Colleges finder at farmaceuticos.com. In Portugal the farmácia de serviço rota is posted in every pharmacy and published online by INFARMED.
The notice on any closed Spanish pharmacy's door names the nearest open one. Over the holidays, our guide to finding a pharmacy or doctor over Christmas covers the closed days.
Without a prescription a pharmacist in either country can supply pain and fever relief, decongestants, cough and throat remedies and antihistamines. Oral rehydration powder, sunburn and rash creams, and indigestion and thrush treatments are also over the counter.
What no pharmacist can give you is an antibiotic. Antibiotics are prescription-only in Spain and Portugal, and the UK Government's Portugal advice warns of strict rules on dispensing them. They treat bacterial infections only, so they do nothing for the viruses behind colds, flu and most winter coughs.
Can you use a UK prescription in Spain or Portugal?
No. A prescription written in the UK is not recognised in Portugal, the UK Government's travel advice says, and Spanish pharmacies apply the same EU rule. That rule covers prescriptions issued in EU countries only. A UK visitor who needs medicine needs a prescription from a doctor in the EU, in person or over video.
A prescription written by a doctor in any EU country is valid in every other EU country. That includes one issued after a video consultation.
The pharmacist checks for your name and date of birth, the date, the prescriber's details and signature, and the medicine's name, strength, form, quantity and dosage. Ask for a paper or PDF copy, because a home e-prescription usually cannot be read abroad. Expect a different brand name or, occasionally, a medicine not sold locally.
Our guide to prescription rules in Europe covers the paperwork, and our post on EU airport rules for medicines covers security.
What if you run out of medication in Spain or Portugal?
For most everyday medicines, running out has a simple fix. After a consultation, our doctors can re-prescribe a stable long-term medicine at the same dose, when continuing is safe. That covers blood pressure, cholesterol, thyroid and diabetes tablets, asthma inhalers, contraception and reflux treatment.
Have the box with its pharmacy label, or a recent prescription, ready. The new prescription names the active ingredient, so a local pharmacist dispenses the equivalent. A dose change, a new medicine or a changed condition needs a video consultation rather than a repeat. For an unchanged medicine, the repeat prescription review is the route; the doctor reissues it only when that is safe.
What our doctors will not do, by any route, is prescribe or renew controlled or restricted medicines: sleeping tablets, anxiety medicines, strong painkillers and ADHD stimulants. Only a prescription issued in the country you are in works for those, so see a local doctor in person. Carry them in their original packaging with the prescription and a prescriber's letter, and bring enough for the whole stay.
Which winter illnesses strike on a winter-sun holiday?
Flu, norovirus and chest infections travel with you; sunburn and dehydration are the two the January sun adds. Flu in Spain sits below the epidemic line, and the Canary sun burns even in January.
Flu: below the epidemic line, for now
In week 43 (19–25 October 2026), 2.8% of GP sentinel swabs in Spain tested positive for flu, 20 of 711. That is below the 10% positivity that European surveillance treats as the start of an epidemic. Portugal reported 0 of 17 swabs positive in week 43, after 6.9% from 29 swabs the week before; samples that small say little.
Our pages for flu levels in Spain and for flu levels in Portugal update weekly from the ECDC/WHO Europe ERVISS release. The Canary Islands report into Spain's national surveillance and follow the national curve, so watch the Spain figure from Tenerife. Our note on this winter's flu strains explains which viruses are circulating, and our guide to getting a flu jab in Europe covers the vaccine.
Norovirus: two to three days ill, two more days contagious
Norovirus starts suddenly with vomiting and diarrhoea, and most people start to feel better in two to three days. You stay infectious afterwards: keep away from other people until two full days have passed without vomiting or diarrhoea.
Wash your hands with soap and water, because alcohol hand gels do not kill norovirus. Drink plenty; dark, strong-smelling urine or passing urine less often means you are behind on fluids, and a pharmacist can recommend oral rehydration powder. Our calculator shows how long norovirus is contagious from the day your symptoms started; see a doctor if you cannot keep fluids down.
Sunburn and dehydration in the January sun
The winter sun in the Canaries is strong enough to burn. AEMET's radiation report for January 2026 recorded a maximum UV index of 7.2 at its Izaña observatory on Tenerife, at 2,371 metres in Teide National Park. On the mainland the same report put January's maximum at 3.2 in Málaga.
On the WHO scale 0 to 2 is safe, 3 to 7 means seek shade in the midday hours, and 8 or above means stay out of the midday sun. If you do burn, our page on sunburn home care explains the signs that need a doctor.
Dehydration is the quieter risk. Thirst, a dry mouth, dark yellow strong-smelling urine, headache, dizziness and tiredness are the signs. Older adults, people with diabetes and anyone who has drunk alcohol or spent too long in the sun are at higher risk.
Our Málaga climate health readings and our Faro climate health readings give a live 0-to-10 exposure score for the Costa del Sol and the Algarve.
Chest infections after a cold or flu
A chest infection often follows a cold or flu and usually clears on its own in 7 to 10 days. The cough and mucus can last up to 3 weeks. Rest, fluids, an extra pillow at night and simple pain relief treat most cases.
See a doctor if you are 65 or over, pregnant, have a weakened immune system or a long-term heart, lung or kidney condition. Also see one if you cough up blood, feel very unwell or get worse, or the cough passes 3 weeks. Our page on chest infection symptoms explains what the doctor checks.
When to see a doctor, and when to call 112
Call 112 now, in Spain, Portugal or the islands, for any sign on the list below. Nobody with these signs should drive themselves anywhere. Illness that needs a doctor within hours, not an ambulance, follows the list.
- Severe difficulty breathing: not being able to get words out, choking or gasping.
- Chest pain, pressure, heaviness, tightness or squeezing across the chest.
- Stroke signs: the face dropping on one side, not being able to hold both arms up, difficulty speaking.
- Blue, grey, pale or blotchy skin or lips, cold skin, confusion or unusual drowsiness: signs of shock.
- A seizure, heavy bleeding, or someone who cannot be woken.
A fever that keeps climbing, a cough still worsening in its third week, or vomiting you cannot stop needs a doctor within hours. So does dizziness on standing that persists, very dark urine or not passing urine, or a fast heart rate. Any illness in someone over 65, pregnant or on treatment that weakens the immune system belongs here too.
Children are the exception: Mobi Doctor sees adults only, so a sick child goes to the local paediatric service, or to 112.
What a video doctor can do from your apartment or hotel
Over video, our doctors take a full history, look at what the camera shows and review your current medicines. Then they decide: self-care with the pharmacist's help, a prescription when appropriate, sent to a pharmacy you choose, or a referral to in-person care. Consultations start usually within 15 minutes, daily 7am–11pm CET.
The doctors cannot listen to your chest, examine inside an ear, X-ray a joint, run a blood test or stitch a cut. For those, use the local services above. The doctors are licensed, EU-registered and consult in English.
Keep your EHIC or GHIC and passport together, save 112 and SNS 24 in your phone, and pack spare regular medicine. A doctor is then a video call away for everything the pharmacist cannot settle.
Sources
- European Commission (Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion): European Health Insurance Card (accessed 3 November 2026)
- NHS: Apply for a free UK Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) (accessed 3 November 2026)
- GOV.UK (FCDO): Portugal travel advice, Health (accessed 3 November 2026)
- Your Europe (European Commission): Presenting a prescription in another EU country (accessed 3 November 2026)
- ECDC: ERVISS weekly data release, sentinel tests, detections and positivity by country (GitHub, EU-ECDC/Respiratory_viruses_weekly_data, data to week 43 of 2026) (accessed 3 November 2026)
- AEMET: Informe de radiación ultravioleta y ozono, enero 2026 (report dated 6 February 2026) (accessed 3 November 2026)
- WHO: Radiation: the ultraviolet (UV) index (Q&A, 20 June 2022) (accessed 3 November 2026)
- NHS: Norovirus (vomiting bug) (accessed 3 November 2026)
- NHS: Dehydration (accessed 3 November 2026)
- NHS: Chest infection (accessed 3 November 2026)
Written by the Mobi Doctor Medical Team. Medical review by Dr Chrysoula Liakou, MD, PhD: pending.
