My ESADE MBA

Covering yourself with medical insurance is the first step and even compulsory to study abroad. I personally chose the insurance DKV as suggested by ESADE. The coverage is rather cheap however the service lacks in many ways. For example the insurance package will not actually be sent to the ESADE campus as promised but you have to go and pick it up from the DKV office itself. That is fair enough but then I have been told that “unless I get a Spanish bank account they will not be able to continue my insurance“, which is completely incomprehensible to me. What does my bank account have to do with my insurance coverage as long as I pay the fee?

Coverage is important but knowing to which doctor or hospital to go, you should inform yourself in advance. DKV insurance actually provides an entire booklet with doctors, which is excellent. Another source of information are the local consulates because they usually provide a list of recommended doctors and/or doctors that speak the respective language. The German Consulate in Barcelona for example recommends the following doctors: download. Check out your local consulate for more information.

Concerning pharmacies you  need not worry because there are almost as many pharmacies in Barcelona as there are banks hence abundantly. I can personally recommend this following pharmacy in the city itself:

Farmacia Casanellas
Llda Maria Teresa Casanellas Marti
Avinyo, 32 – 08002 Barcelona
Tel/Fax: 93 317 91 98