Catalonia to pay immigrants’ health costs

02 Sep, 2012

The Catalonian government has said that it will pay primary healthcare costs for immigrants for up to a year even though they do not have all the required residency papers. However they must have been registered on city residency lists for three months previous to 1 September. Children, pregnant mothers and emergency cases will be treated without exception.

The Catalonia ruling goes contrary to a regulation introduced by the central Spanish government that immigrants without all the necessary papers must pay for their own health costs as of 1 September.

The central government’s decision risked about 600,000 people in Catalonia having to pay the full cost of their healthcare treatment.