Pharmacies, Hospitals & Emergencies in Lanzarote

Emergency number: 112

This is the single number you need to remember. Dial 112, you will hear a recorded message in Spanish, then an operator comes on. Say "English" and you will be put through to an English-speaking operator within seconds. The 112 service in the Canary Islands handles English, German and French calls routinely — this is a tourist region and they are set up for it.

Tell the operator:

• What happened — "My child has a high fever", "I think I broke my ankle", "someone collapsed".
• Where you are — a street name, a hotel name, a beach. If you do not know, describe landmarks. The operator can triangulate your phone if you are calling from a mobile.
• How many people need help and their condition.

The operator will send an ambulance, or direct you to the nearest farmacia or Centro de Salud, or connect you to the local police. Stay on the line until they tell you to hang up. If you cannot speak, tap the phone twice to confirm you are there — the operator is trained for this.

Hospital Molina Orosa — the public hospital

Lanzarote has exactly one public hospital: Hospital General de Lanzarote (Doctor Molina Orosa), in Arrecife. It is the island's A&E, its maternity ward, its surgery and its intensive care. If you need serious treatment, this is where the ambulance takes you.

What to expect

You walk into Urgencias, register at the desk (bring your EHIC/TSE card and passport), and wait to be triaged. It is not a private hospital — the waiting room can be busy, especially in the evening, and waits of 2-4 hours for non-urgent cases are normal. Genuine emergencies (chest pain, severe trauma, children with difficulty breathing) are seen immediately.

The doctors and nurses speak enough English to treat you. Some are fluent; many are not. Bring a translation app or write down your symptoms on a piece of paper if you are worried about being misunderstood. Be patient, be polite, and bring a book — the staff are doing their best under pressure in July when the island population doubles.

The EHIC / TSE card — bring it, bring it, bring it

If you are a UK or EU resident, your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) or the post-Brexit Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) for UK citizens, or the Spanish TSE replacement certificate, entitles you to medically necessary state-provided healthcare on the same terms as a Spanish resident. In practice, this means:

• Emergency treatment at Molina Orosa: free.
• Urgent care at a Centro de Salud (the local clinics across the island): free or a small prescription charge.
• Prescriptions: you pay the Spanish resident rate, which is heavily subsidised — often a few euros instead of tens.
• Ongoing care for chronic conditions (diabetes, dialysis, etc.): covered if arranged in advance.

It does not cover private clinics (Hospiten, Dr. Campos), dental treatment, repatriation home, or mountain/sea rescue. For those, you need travel insurance.

Private clinics — faster, English-speaking, paid

If you do not want to wait at the public hospital, or you want guaranteed English-speaking doctors and a calmer environment, Lanzarote has two private clinics that cater to tourists. You pay out of pocket and reclaim on travel insurance later.

Pharmacies (farmacias) — the green cross

Spanish pharmacies are marked by a glowing green cross (sometimes a neon-green flashing one) and the word FARMACIA in white on a green sign. They are everywhere — Lanzarote has around 90 of them — and the pharmacist is a qualified professional who can give advice on minor ailments, dispense prescription medication, and recommend over-the-counter treatments.

Opening hours

Normal pharmacy hours are Monday to Friday, 9:00–13:30 and 17:00–20:00, and Saturday morning 9:00–13:00. They close for lunch and the afternoon heat, like most Spanish shops. Sundays and public holidays, they are closed — except for the duty pharmacy.

The 24h pharmacy rotation (farmacia de guardia)

At any given time, every town has one pharmacy on duty — the farmacia de guardia — which stays open all night, all weekend, and on public holidays. The rotation changes every week. There is always one open in each major town (Arrecife, Puerto del Carmen, Costa Teguise, Playa Blanca, Tías, Yaiza, Teguise).

To find tonight's open pharmacy:

• Google "farmacia de guardia Lanzarote" — the Colegio de Farmacéuticos list comes up first and is updated daily.
• Website: farmaciasguardia.com — select Lanzarote and your town.
• Walk past any closed pharmacy — by law, the door must display a printed notice listing the address of the current duty pharmacy in the area.
• Call 112 — they will tell you the nearest open one if you cannot access the internet.

What a Spanish pharmacy can do for you

More than you might expect. Spanish pharmacists can:

• Measure blood pressure and blood sugar.
• Treat minor wounds and apply dressings.
• Advise on sunburn, insect bites, digestive issues, ear pain, conjunctivitis, and urinary tract infections.
• Dispense some medications that would require a prescription in the UK (though not antibiotics — see the FAQ below).
• Recommend and fit compression bandages, crutches, slings, and basic mobility aids.

Pharmacists in Spain are approachable and well-trained. For anything that is not obviously an emergency, the farmacia is your first stop — it is faster, cheaper, and often sufficient.

Common holiday issues — and what to buy

Most visits to a Lanzarote pharmacy fall into a handful of categories. Here is what locals buy and what actually works.

Sunburn

The sun here is stronger than you think — Lanzarote is at the same latitude as the Sahara, and the wind makes it feel cooler than it is. If you burn:

• Aftersun with aloe vera (After Sun, usually by ISDIN or Cansinal — ask for "after sun con aloe vera"). Keep it in the fridge.
• Hydrocortisone cream 1% for inflamed, blistered skin.
• Paracetamol or ibuprofen for the pain and inflammation.
• Drink a lot of water. A sunburn is a burn — you are dehydrated whether you feel it or not.

If the burn blisters over a large area, or you feel feverish or dizzy, go to the farmacia or 112. Sun poisoning is real.

Jellyfish stings

Not common in Lanzarote, but they happen — especially on calm, warm days and after storms. Most are mild and treated at the pharmacy:

• Rinse with seawater (never fresh water — it makes the sting worse).
• Remove tentacle fragments with tweezers or the edge of a card — never your bare fingers.
• Soak in hot water (40-45°C, as hot as you can stand) for 20-40 minutes — heat breaks down the venom.
• Antihistamine (tablet) + ibuprofen for pain and swelling.
• The farmacia sells a specific jellyfish sting kit (kit para medusas) for a few euros — worth having if you are at the beach all week.

If you feel short of breath, dizzy, or the sting is on the face or a large area, go straight to 112.

Dehydration and heat exhaustion

The combination of sun, wind and alcohol catches people out. Symptoms: headache, dizziness, dark urine, dry mouth, fatigue. Treatment is simple:

• Oral rehydration salts (sales de rehidratación oral — the farmacia sells sachets for €2-4). Mix with bottled water and drink.
• Get into shade. A cool (not cold) shower helps.
• Avoid alcohol and caffeine until you are back to normal.
• If there is confusion, no urination for hours, or a child is affected, go to 112.

Ear infections (swimmer's ear)

Common after days of swimming and pool time. The ear canal gets damp and bacteria grow. Symptoms: pain, blocked feeling, sometimes discharge.

• Eardrops with antibiotics and a steroid (often by Ratioallerg or Otilux — ask the pharmacist).
• Ibuprofen for pain.
• Keep the ear dry for a few days — no swimming.

If the pain is severe, the ear is visibly swollen shut, or a child has a high fever, see a doctor. The farmacia will tell you when to escalate.

Dental emergencies

Dental problems are the one thing the EHIC does not cover and travel insurance often limits. If you crack a tooth, lose a filling, or get toothache at midnight, you need a private dentist — and English-speaking ones are thin on the ground in Lanzarote.

There are a few reliable options:

What to bring from home

A few things are worth packing because they are either expensive or hard to find on the island.

• Sunscreen. It is genuinely expensive here — €18-25 for a bottle that costs €8 at home. Bring two. The sun is strong, you will use more than you think, and the resort shop prices are punishing.
• Insect repellent. Lanzarote has very few mosquitoes (the wind and lack of standing water keep them down), so you may not need it — but bring a small bottle in case a still, humid evening catches you out. The local stuff is fine but overpriced in tourist shops.
• Any prescription medication you take regularly. Bring the full amount you need for the trip, plus a few days extra. Bring the paper prescription with you (translated into English/Spanish if possible) — customs can ask, and if you need a refill here, the doctor needs to see what you are on.
• Basic first-aid kit: paracetamol, ibuprofen, antihistamine, plasters, a small tube of hydrocortisone, rehydration salts. You can buy all of this here, but having it in your bag saves a midnight pharmacy run.
• Your EHIC/GHIC/TSE card. The actual physical card. Not a photo.
• Your travel insurance details — policy number and 24h assistance number, saved offline on your phone.