Vacation Dialysis

    Receiving alternative kidney therapy is no reason to not enjoy your well-deserved holidays. Although it is important that you continue with your dialysis sessions and looking after your health, check with your doctor whether your current clinical situation would allow you to travel and, in particular, choose an appropriate destination.

    What should you take with you?

    Documents. Depending on your destination and the centre where you will have your dialysis sessions, you may we asked for different documents. However, always take a doctor report that certifies your disease and justifies the treatment.

    If you decide to travel to Spain or Europe, the request must be submitted with sufficient time (1/2 months approximately) to guarantee yourself a booking for your dialysis sessions.

    What if I am on the transplant waiting list?

    What if I am on the transplant waiting list?

    If you are on the waiting list for a kidney transplant, you know you could get called at any time. In this case, if you decide to travel abroad for a long period of time, and you get called for the transplant, due to the distance or time it would take you to get back, it may not be possible to have it. It is a risk you must take into account when going on holiday. However, should this happen, you would continue to be on the waiting list, since it remains active.

    If you are travelling to Europe

    Europe is a popular destination for our patients as it offers many areas to discover safely and has an excellent health coverage system with the European Health Card.

    The European Health Card (EHC) is a personal document that certifies the right to receive medical attention while you are abroad due to studies, work, tourism, in any country belonging to the EU, the European Economic Area and Switzerland, taking into account the nature of the health services and the length of your stay, according to the legislation in each country.

    We recommend that you request or renew your European Health Card with sufficient time as it is not issued immediately; instead, it is sent to your address by post after requesting it. You also need to find out whether you qualify for an EHC.

    Countries that accept the EHC:

    Alemania

    Austria

    Bélgica

    Bulgaria

    Chipre

    Dinamarca

    Eslovaquia

    Eslovenia

    Estonia

    Finlandia

    Francia

    Grecia

    Holanda

    Hungría

    Irlanda

    Islandia

    Italia

    Letonia

    Leichtenstein

    Lituania

    Luxemburgo

    Malta

    Noruega

    Polonia

    Portugal

    Reino Unido

    República Checa

    Rumanía

    Suecia

    Suiza

    How can I book my dialysis session if I decide to travel to these countries?

    You can book your sessions at a centre in any of these countries through the Spanish Association for Kidney Diseases (ALCER).Puedes reservar tus sesiones en los diferentes centros de estos territorios a través de la Asociación para la Lucha Contra las Enfermedades del Riñón, ALCER.

    Plano

    FEDERACIÓN NACIONAL ALCER
    Calle Constancia 35. Local 2
    28002. Madrid

    Teléfono: 915 610 837
    Fax: 915 643 499
    Correos Electrónicos:
    informacion@alcer.org
    presidencia@alcer.org
    www.alcer.org

    Other parts of the world and the USA.

    If you are travelling outside the EU, you need to personally look for your closest dialysis centre or the one where you would like to receive treatment and make a booking.

    In this event, if you have private insurance, you need to check your coverage (whether or not it covers dialysis and how many sessions), and the centres where you can go to. This information will be provided by your insurance company.

    Otherwise, you will have to cover the cost of dialysis treatment yourself. Therefore, we recommend that you take out travel insurance to cover any possible emergencies that may arise while you are travelling.

    The following links provide information on the different holiday haemodialysis centres by country and their addresses:

    https://www.kidney.org.uk/archives/information-archive/holidays-dialysis-world/
    http://www.globaldialysis.com/search-for-dialysis-centres.html

    ALCER can also help you to locate dialysis centres and units, as well as contact details.

    What do I do if something serious happens to me?

    What do I do if something serious happens to me?

    Within Spain, you can go to any hospital or health centre listed under the Social Security and give them your health card. If you have private insurance, you can go to a centre offered by your insurance. Of course, you can go to any public or private health centre and be admitted, however, you will have to cover the costs yourself if you do not meet the criteria mentioned above.

    In Europe, you can go to any public centre that accepts the EHC. Bear in mind that some countries may request your credit card or payment for the service, and you will then be paid back by your medical insurance (whether your EHC or private health insurance).

    In other parts of the world, unless you have private medical insurance or travel insurance with that coverage, normally you will have to pay the full amount of the medical expenses.

    Practical advice

    • Find out what meteorological conditions your destination will have during your stay. Confirm where your dialysis centre is during your holidays, what distance it is from your accommodation and how long it will take you to get there, depending on the means of transport available.

    • We recommend that you always have a telephone at hand or any other means of communication, with the dialysis centre at your destination and your local centre, so that you can contact them should something happen.

    • Like any guide, depending on your destination, you should take:

      • A hat to protect your head from the sun

      • Sun cream

      • Mosquito repellent

      • Warm clothes

    • Avoid traveller’s diarrhoea. Washing your hands properly before eating and after going to the bathroom is extremely important. Drink bottled water (even for washing your teeth), avoid ice in drinks (as it is usually from non-bottled water) and raw food washed under a tap (vegetables from salads, un-peeled fruit, etc.).

    • Be careful with products that could easily have gone off: creams, sauces, egg-containing preparations, non-pasteurised milk, etc.

    • Always have a first-aid kit at hand (plasters, bandages, betadine®, pain killers, etc.).

    • Ask your doctor for advice before travelling. And any possible vaccines you may need depending on your destination.

    Holiday dyalisis (download PDF)