The future treaty between the European Union and the United Kingdom on Gibraltar contemplates recovering the circulation of Gibraltar ambulances towards Spain to transfer patients to health centers in Campo de Gibraltar and the province of Malaga. In addition, the professionals residing in the Rock will once again drive these vehicles as was the case before Brexit, as reported Europa Sur.
The legal text, still pending approval and ratification, includes in its article 276 the recovery of reciprocity in medical transport between Gibraltar and Spanish territory. After the departure of the United Kingdom from the European Union – which also affected the enclave – the Gibraltar Health Authority lost permission to transport patients in its own ambulances through Spain, except in extreme emergency situations previously communicated to the authorities.
Meanwhile, Spanish ambulances have been able to continue operating normally in Gibraltar, making regular transfers to and from Spanish territory, since the Rock never limited their activity.
The restriction imposed after Brexit has also affected other health services, such as the transport of platelets from Spain. Gibraltar depends on supplies from Jerez in emergency situations. Before the British exit from the EU, these products were transported to La Línea and from there they were collected by Gibraltarian ambulances to take them to St Bernard Hospital. Since then, this transfer must be carried out with Spanish ambulances.
The objective of the agreement is to protect public health
With the new agreement, the European Union will allow operators established in Gibraltar, under the direction of its Health Authority, to provide ambulance services within the community territory when necessary to protect public health. This authorization must be applied in a reasonable manner and without generating discrimination or hidden restrictions on trade in services. The treaty contemplates a similar provision so that Union operators can act in the opposite direction within Gibraltar.
The services included will cover both health emergencies and transfers necessary for specialized treatment of serious or acute illnesses. During the treaty negotiations, Gibraltar insisted on recovering this equality in medical transport.
More than 1.4 million euros from 2022
After Brexit, the Gibraltar Health Authority stopped being able to transport patients in its own ambulances through Spanish territory for several reasons. On the one hand, the vehicles do not comply with the European standard EN 1789 that regulates medical transport, establishing technical, design and equipment requirements. On the other hand, drivers and healthcare personnel became considered commercial transport workers, which requires them to register their employment status in the European Union. As a result, neither ambulances nor their drivers can currently cross the Gate.
This situation has forced the Gibraltar Government to hire Spanish companies to carry out these transfers. Among the companies that provide this service are Ambulances Andalucía S. Coop., Helicópteros Sanitarios and Socorrismo y Servicios. The cost of these contracts is around 350,000 euros annually, which has meant a bill of more than 1.4 million euros between 2022 and 2025, according to data from the Gibraltar Executive itself.
When the treaty comes into force, this activity will no longer be necessary, since the agreement will once again allow professionals and ambulances from both territories to operate within the so-called “contiguous border zone.”
According to Annex 26 of the document, this area includes seven health centers in Spain: six private and one public. These include clinics in La Línea and Algeciras, private hospitals in Palmones (Los Barrios), Jerez, Benalmádena and Málaga, as well as the Punta de Europa University Hospital in La Línea, belonging to the Andalusian Health Service.
stock image
