Gibraltar ambulances will be allowed to enter Spain once again under the terms of the post-Brexit treaty signed by the UK and EU.
The agreement restores the situation that existed before Brexit, when ambulances from Gibraltar could cross the border and operate in Spain with local drivers.
Under Article 276 of the treaty, ambulance services will once again be allowed to move patients between the Rock and Spanish healthcare facilities in the Campo de Gibrlatar.
After the UK left the EU, Gibraltar’s health authority lost the general permission to transfer patients into Spain using its own ambulances.
Since then, its ambulances have only been allowed to cross the border in exceptional emergency situations that must be reported to Spanish authorities.
Spanish ambulances, however, have continued operating normally in the British Overseas Territory, meaning there has been no restriction on patient transfers from Spain.
The change will also affect the transport of medical supplies such as blood platelets.
Gibraltar depends on supplies from Spain during emergencies, with platelets normally sent from Jerez.
Before Brexit, the supplies were delivered to La Linea and collected by Gibraltar ambulances for transfer to St Bernard’s Hospital on the Rock.
Since the restrictions were introduced, Spanish ambulances have had to carry out these transfers instead.
The new treaty will restore reciprocity, allowing ambulance operators based in Gibraltar to provide services within EU territory when required for public health purposes.
The measure had been one of Gibraltar’s key demands during the lengthy negotiations over its post-Brexit relationship with the EU.
Since Brexit, Gibraltar ambulances have been unable to cross the border mainly because their vehicles do not fully meet EU transport standards and their drivers are treated under EU rules as commercial vehicle operators.
As a result, Gibraltar has had to hire Spanish ambulance companies to handle patient transfers.
The Gibraltar government has spent around €350,000 per year on these services, with total costs exceeding €1.4 million between 2022 and 2025.
Once the treaty comes into force, Gibraltar ambulances and medical staff will again be able to operate within the designated ‘contiguous border zone’.
This area includes several healthcare centres in Andalucia, including clinics in La Linea and Algeciras, as well as hospitals in Palmones, Jerez, Benalmadena and Malaga.
Read more Andalucia news at the Spanish Eye.
