Healthcare is one of the most practical questions buyers and relocating residents ask about the Costa del Sol. This guide covers the main hospitals, private clinics and health centres across Marbella, Benahavís and Estepona: helping you understand what is available, where, and how Spain’s public and private healthcare systems work in the region.
Marbella and the Golden Triangle offer a complete range of world-class private and public health services available to residents and visitors. From modern public hospitals to private clinics and specialist medical centres, here is your guide to healthcare in the Costa del Sol area.
Marbella, Benahavís and Estepona are served by a network of modern public hospitals, private clinics and specialist medical centres that give residents and buyers across the western Costa del Sol reliable access to quality healthcare.
For many people considering a permanent move or second home on the Costa del Sol, healthcare infrastructure sits near the top of the list of practical concerns: as it should.
The good news is that the western Costa del Sol, and Marbella in particular, is considerably better served than many comparable Spanish regions, combining a solid public network with a strong concentration of private hospitals and specialist clinics that have developed specifically to serve an international residential population.
This guide covers the main hospitals and provides an overview of health services across Marbella, Benahavís, and Estepona, and explains how Spain’s public and private healthcare systems work in practice for residents and property owners.
Pharmacies (farmacias) in Spain play a significant role in everyday healthcare. Unlike those in some Northern European countries, Spanish pharmacies can offer broader clinical services. Qualified pharmacists may advise on and dispense treatment for various common conditions, often without the need for a GP appointment. For many non-urgent health concerns, a local pharmacy can provide quick, practical assistance and is typically the first point of contact for most residents.
Spain’s public healthcare system, the Servicio Andaluz de Salud (SAS), provides comprehensive medical services to registered residents at no cost at the point of use. Coverage is accessed through a local health centre (centro de salud), where a registered GP manages referrals to hospital specialists and other services. The system is well-funded and operates to a consistently high standard. The emergency number is 112 or 061.
The Hospital Costa del Sol, the main public hospital serving Marbella, is undergoing expansion and modernisation, and is known as one of the better-equipped hospitals in Spain. Visiting European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) holders can usually access emergency and other services in the Spanish public health system, the same immediate treatments as Spanish residents. This covers necessary visits and hospitalisations, part-payment of necessary medicines, but not private health services or travel costs.
A comprehensive private healthcare system operates alongside the public system and is widely used by international residents, offering an extensive range of modern, new-age, and holistic treatments expected of the area’s cosmopolitan residents. The advantages are practical rather than clinical: shorter waiting times, multilingual doctors, direct access to specialist consultations, and a more flexible appointment structure.
Most private hospitals in Marbella are registered with major international health insurance providers, making them straightforward to use for buyers from the UK, Germany, Scandinavia, and beyond. In any case, it is always best to check ahead of time how your private health cover works and what kind of up-front payments to plan for in case of an emergency.
Many long-term residents maintain both, using the public system for ongoing care and the private sector for faster specialist access when needed. As in many countries, it is generally considered that serious operations and treatments are best handled within the public system, which has the responsibility to provide the most reliable, state-of-the-art, long-term treatment to the population.
Hospital Costa del Sol is the principal public hospital serving Marbella and much of the western Costa del Sol, including Benahavís. Located just east of Marbella, near the Los Monteros/Bahía de Marbella junction, it forms part of the Andalusian public healthcare network and provides a full range of services across cardiology, oncology, orthopaedics, internal medicine, paediatrics, and maternity care. A 24-hour emergency department is available to all residents and is often used for last-minute appointments when an appointment at a local health clinic is unavailable.
The hospital has undergone significant expansion and modernisation in recent years, improving capacity across several key departments. Residents using Spain’s public system will typically see their local GP first before being referred here for specialist treatment or hospital care. The emergency department is always available, though be prepared to wait for non-serious issues.
Website: hcs.es
Quirónsalud Marbella is part of Spain’s largest private healthcare network and one of the most recognised private hospitals on the Costa del Sol, on the eastern end of Marbella’s central seafront. It is the hospital most commonly used by international residents and second-home owners seeking private care in Marbella, and it offers a full range of services, including a dedicated paediatric emergency centre.
The range of specialities is broad: cardiology, orthopaedics, oncology, ophthalmology, traumatology, dermatology, obstetrics, gynaecology, digestive medicine, and diagnostic services, including MRI and CT imaging, are available on-site, which means assessments can often be completed quickly. Hospital rooms are spacious and often have sea views. Multilingual medical staff and significant experience treating international patients make this a practical first port of call for expatriate residents seeking specialist consultations.
Website: quironsalud.com/marbella
Located on the Golden Mile, HC Marbella is a private hospital with a particular focus on specialist medicine, advanced oncology, and preventive healthcare. Its oncology department has developed a strong reputation for combining detailed diagnostics with personalised treatment programmes, and the hospital attracts patients from across Europe and beyond for specialist consultations.
Beyond oncology, the hospital offers a full range of services across cardiology, ophthalmology, endocrinology, digestive medicine and executive health check-up programmes. For buyers or residents who want a dedicated private hospital with a more specialist, less clinic-style feel, HC Marbella provides a strong option.
Website: hcmarbella.com
A well-established private clinic on the Paseo Marítimo beach promenade in central Marbella, Ochoa has served the local and international population for decades. Patients can consult GPs and specialists across cardiology, dermatology, dentistry, endocrinology, cosmetic surgery, digestive medicine and paediatrics, with diagnostic and imaging services available on-site. There are physiotherapy and radiology departments that are well covered by Spanish insurers.
Visitors to most parts of the hospital can park at Amare or Marbell Centre and receive one hour free by requesting a ticket at the reception desk when processing the visit. Though the building is a little older than some options, it is a practical option for residents who want private healthcare in a central Marbella location without the scale of a full hospital, and it’s lovely to step straight out onto the beach after your visit.
Website: ochoamedicalcenter.com
Operating near Puerto Banús, Helicópteros Sanitarios provides emergency care, specialist consultations and advanced diagnostic services, as well as the air ambulance services for which the organisation is better known across the Costa del Sol. Specialist departments include cardiology, trauma care and internal medicine. For residents in the western Marbella and Nueva Andalucía area, this represents a close, well-equipped private emergency and specialist resource that provides at-home emergency visits. Definitely useful for families, older residents, and those living farther from the main hospitals.
Website: helicopterossanitarios.com
Opened in 2025, Hospital Recoletas Salud is a private hospital in upper Marbella, forming part of the established Grupo Recoletas network, which has nearly 40 years of history operating hospitals across Spain. The hospital covers a broad range of specialist departments, including cardiology, orthopaedic surgery and traumatology, general and digestive surgery, gynaecology and obstetrics, urology, internal medicine, endocrinology, diagnostic imaging and a dedicated pain management unit. A 24-hour emergency service is available, and the hospital has a specialist haemodynamics and interventional cardiology unit.
The hospital offers international patient services and works with a wide range of health insurance providers, making it well-positioned to serve the international resident population in Marbella. The website and patient services are available in Spanish, English, French and German, a practical indicator of how seriously the hospital takes its non-Spanish patient base.
Website: recoletasmarbella.com
If you hold a Spanish health insurance card or European EHIC card with your passport, you can visit one of the Centros de Salud for standard medical appointments. Referrals for hospital treatment go to Hospital Costa del Sol. Note that Spanish residents need to register at their local centre with an empadronamiento certificate, but visitors covered under the public health system can make a temporary file:-
Benahavís is a smaller municipality, and the village has a local health centre that provides primary care and GP services to residents. For specialist treatment or hospital care, the short drive to Marbella or San Pedro makes access to both private hospitals and Hospital Costa del Sol straightforward.
Residents of communities such as La Zagaleta, La Quinta and Monte Mayor are typically within 30 minutes of either Estepona or Marbella hospitals.
In practical terms, Benahavís residents are well served by proximity rather than local provision.
Estepona’s public healthcare provision operates through the Servicio Andaluz de Salud (SAS) and has expanded considerably in recent years, most notably with the opening of the Hospital de Alta Resolución de Estepona in 2021.
For primary care, Estepona is served by two main public health centres. Centro de Salud Estepona, located on Calle Cristóbal Ruiz Méndez in the town centre, is the principal public GP centre for Estepona residents, providing family medicine, paediatric care, nursing services, preventive health programmes and referrals to the HAR Estepona and Hospital Costa del Sol for specialist or hospital treatment. Centro de Salud Lobilla, on Calle Miguel de María Luque, serves the northern and inland areas of the municipality and provides the same range of primary care services for residents in those parts of Estepona.
As with all public health centres in Andalusia, residents must be registered with the SAS and assigned to a local centre before accessing services. Once registered, the system provides comprehensive primary care at no cost, with referrals to specialist departments at the public hospital as required. The SAS administrative office for the area also operates from the Lobilla address for registration and administrative queries.
Combined with the HAR public hospital and the variety of private hospitals, Estepona residents have a well-rounded choice of health services within the town itself. Below, we break down the main hospitals in the Estepona area.
Opened in 2021, the HAR is Estepona’s first dedicated public hospital. Designed as a high-resolution centre rather than a full general hospital, it provides emergency services, specialist consultations, diagnostic imaging and outpatient procedures, with surgical services progressively expanding following a significant staffing increase approved in late 2025. More complex cases are referred onward to Hospital Costa del Sol.
Website: juntaandalucia.es
Belonging to a long-established international hospital group, Hospiten Estepona is a private hospital providing general medicine, cardiology, orthopaedics, paediatrics and diagnostic imaging services. The hospital operates a 24-hour emergency department and works with most major international health insurance providers, making it straightforward to use for residents and visitors arriving with existing private coverage from the UK, Northern Europe, or further afield.
Website: hospiten.com
Previously known as Cenyt Hospital, Vithas Xanit is part of the Spanish group’s national network of around 20 hospitals. Located on Avenida Andalucía, facing Estepona’s seafront, it offers some 40 medical specialities, including gynaecology, traumatology, cardiology, vascular surgery, general surgery, digestive medicine, internal medicine, paediatrics and family medicine, alongside a dedicated dental and aesthetic medicine centre. Diagnostic technology includes MRI, CT scanning, mammography and DentalScan 3D. A 24-hour emergency department serves adults, and the hospital works with the main national and international insurance providers.
Website: vithas.es
Beyond the major hospitals, the area has developed a remarkably varied private healthcare ecosystem that reflects both the size and modern expectations of its international residential population, offering an increasingly wide range of specialist services considerably greater than you would find in most comparable Spanish towns.
With Marbella’s growing international fame and population, this selection is continually evolving to incorporate the world’s best practices and innovations. In addition to health, beauty, and wellness facilities, below is an overview of some types of specialist medical clinics in the area.
Private GP clinics are well distributed across Marbella town, Nueva Andalucía, Puerto Banús, San Pedro and Estepona, with some operating extended hours, multilingual consultations and home visit services. Online consultation services are also widely available, allowing continuity of care without a physical visit. Clinics such as Vital Rest Clinic in Nueva Andalucía and Clínica Puerto Banús in Puerto Banús are typical of the accessible, internationally oriented general practices found throughout the area.
This is an area where the Marbella Golden Triangle genuinely stands out. The concentration of clinics focused on prevention, early detection and health optimisation is unusual for a region of this size and reflects the profile of the resident population: health-conscious, internationally mobile and accustomed to proactive rather than reactive care. Services range from advanced cardiovascular and cancer screening using hospital-grade imaging (such as Executive Health, Puerto Banús) to precision medicine practices that build detailed protocols for comprehensive biomarker analysis, hormonal health, and biological age (including Long Life Clinic, Nueva Andalucía). Several anti-ageing and regenerative medicine clinics have established themselves across the area, including Eternal Clinic in Nueva Andalucía and Tiara Health in Marbella, which combine evidence-based medicine with longevity-focused programmes, epigenetic testing, and personalised health protocols.
A number of clinics across the Golden Triangle work specifically with patients managing complex or chronic conditions where conventional medicine alone may not provide sufficient support. Services in this category include integrative oncology, chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia programmes, Lyme disease treatment, orthomolecular nutrition, hyperthermia therapy, and electromagnetic regenerative treatments, for example, CelluMed Clinic. Biomagnetic therapy, which uses magnetic fields to address biochemical imbalances in the body, is also available through complementary health practitioners in the area. These clinics complement conventional hospital care in the area.
Two treatments that have moved from niche to mainstream in the Marbella area deserve specific mention. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT), where patients breathe pure oxygen in a pressurised chamber, is now available at several facilities, including Tiara Health in Marbella and a dedicated hyperbaric medical centre in Estepona. Applications range from sports injury recovery and post-surgical healing to chronic disease support and anti-ageing protocols. IV nutrient therapy (intravenous infusions of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and hydration compounds) is offered both through dedicated drip clinics and as part of the wider longevity medicine offer across the area. Both treatments are now well embedded in the local wellness and preventive health landscape.
Private psychology and psychiatry services are well established across the Golden Triangle, with practitioners available across a range of specialisms including anxiety, depression, trauma, addiction support and couples therapy. Many work in English and other European languages. Multidisciplinary clinics such as Compass Clinic offer psychology as part of a broader specialist offer, complemented by many independent practitioners. Mental health provision has grown considerably in recent years and is now well served for the international community across Marbella, San Pedro and Estepona.
Aesthetic medicine clinics are widely available throughout the area, ranging from dedicated medical aesthetics practices to departments within larger private hospitals. Non-surgical treatments, including injectables, dermal fillers, thread lifting, skin hydration programmes, laser treatments, and body contouring, are offered to a high standard at the better-established clinics, many of which work with internationally sourced products and technology. Graal Clinic in Puerto Banús is one example among many across Marbella and Estepona. For residents considering more significant procedures, most private hospitals have plastic and reconstructive surgery departments.
Independent physiotherapy clinics, sports injury specialists and rehabilitation centres are found throughout Marbella, Nueva Andalucía and Estepona, with post-surgical rehabilitation available through the main private hospitals throughout the Golden Triangle. Chiropractic and osteopathy are also well represented, with dedicated practices serving the area and widely used by residents for ongoing management of spinal, postural and musculoskeletal conditions.
Dental clinics are well represented, ranging from general family dentistry to specialist implantology, orthodontics, periodontics and cosmetic dentistry. Many residents from Northern Europe find that dental treatment here compares favourably in both quality and cost to what they would access at home: a practical financial consideration for anyone planning a permanent relocation.
Ophthalmology and laser vision correction, medical dermatology and mole mapping, sleep medicine, audiology, clinical nutrition and specialist weight management programmes are all well represented, with dedicated practices across the main residential areas.
Hospital Ceram in Marbella is home to CERAM, one of the longer-established fertility clinics on the Costa del Sol, operating since 1993 and offering assisted reproduction alongside full maternity services, including water-birthing in private rooms. Most private hospitals in the area offer assisted reproduction and fertility treatment. Quirónsalud Marbella also has an established maternity department often accessed by expatriate residents across the wider area.
One of the more distinctive features of private healthcare in the Marbella area is the availability of high-quality concierge and mobile medical services, which bring doctors and emergency medical teams to you. Helicópteros Sanitarios operates a 24-hour emergency and home visit service alongside its hospital facility in Puerto Banús, and Excelan Clinic provides a similarly comprehensive concierge medical and ambulance service across the Costa del Sol. These services are one of the more distinctive practical advantages of living in this part of Spain.
For buyers considering property in Marbella, Benahavís or Estepona, the healthcare infrastructure is genuinely modern, diverse and reliable. Both public and private medical provision are concentrated within a relatively small geographic area, and the standard of care at the main private hospitals is comparable with what international residents will be accustomed to at home.
Families with children, older buyers considering a permanent move, and anyone with existing health requirements will find that the western Costa del Sol offers far stronger medical infrastructure than many other popular relocation destinations throughout southern Europe.
For more information on living in the area, explore our local area guides, or contact MPDunne Properties for any property-related queries.
The main public hospital is Hospital Costa del Sol, which serves Marbella and the western Costa del Sol through Spain’s national healthcare system. The most widely used private hospitals are Quirónsalud Marbella, Ochoa Marbella, HC Marbella International Hospital, and Vithas in Estepona.
Yes. Marbella and the surrounding area are considerably better served than many comparable regions in Spain. Residents have access to modern public hospitals, multiple private hospitals, and a comprehensive range of specialist clinics and holistic health services within a relatively short distance.
Yes. Private hospitals and clinics in Marbella regularly treat international patients, and most employ multilingual staff, including English and other languages. Most healthcare providers have extensive experience working with patients from the UK, Northern Europe and beyond.
Benahavís has a local health centre for primary care. For hospital treatment, residents typically use their preferred clinic or hospital in the Marbella or Estepona area, whether it be public or private.
Yes. Hospital de Alta Resolución de Estepona opened in 2021 and provides emergency services, specialist consultations and outpatient surgery. Private hospitals in Estepona include Hospiten Estepona and Cenyt Hospital.
If you are a registered resident in Spain or an EHIC holder temporarily visiting, you have access to the public healthcare system at no cost. Many international residents and second-home owners also take out private health insurance to access shorter waiting times and multilingual specialist care. Both systems work well and are often used in conjunction.
Melinda Rendina Content Writer & Marketing Creator
Melinda is an experienced writer specialising in real estate, urban planning, lifestyle, architecture and design. A seasoned Marbella resident, she holds an Undergraduate Degree in Social Science with Honours in Politics, and a Masters degree in Urban Planning.
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