Digestive and Gut Health with Sanitas
This is the specialty people put off longest, and the one where putting it off matters most. Most of what comes through the door turns out to be manageable. The reason to go is the small proportion that does not.
What sends people here
Heartburn and reflux that antacids no longer fix. Stomach pain. Bloating and irritable bowel symptoms. A change in bowel habit that has lasted more than a few weeks. Blood where there should not be any. Unexplained weight loss. Difficulty swallowing. Liver results a doctor wants investigated.
Most of it turns out to be manageable. The reason to go rather than wait is the small proportion that does not, and bowel cancer in particular is very treatable when caught early and very much less so when caught late.
Endoscopy and colonoscopy
The two main investigations, and the ones people dread more than they need to.
Gastroscopy looks at the stomach through a thin camera down the throat. Usually done under sedation, takes about ten minutes, and you remember little of it.
Colonoscopy looks at the large bowel from the other end. The preparation the day before is the unpleasant part, not the procedure, which is done under sedation. Polyps can be removed during it, which is how the procedure prevents cancer rather than just detecting it.
Both count as complex diagnostic tests, so they carry a 6-month waiting period from the start of your policy unless the situation is urgent.
Bowel cancer screening
Spain runs a public screening programme from age 50, and if you are registered you should receive an invitation. If you are not in the public system or you have missed it, this is a good use of private cover. A family history of bowel cancer moves the sensible starting age earlier, so mention it at the consultation.
Where the digestive specialists are
487 clinics across 48 provinces, with 1,044 named specialists between them – and you can book any of them yourself, without a referral.
- Madrid – 78 clinics, 254 specialists
- Barcelona – 69 clinics, 141 specialists
- Malaga – 32 clinics, 45 specialists
- Seville – 22 clinics, 56 specialists
- Valencia – 21 clinics, 58 specialists
- Cadiz – 21 clinics, 31 specialists
- Alicante – 17 clinics, 37 specialists
Language at the appointment
Language matters here, because diagnosis rests almost entirely on describing symptoms precisely, and sedation consent is not a conversation to guess your way through. Ask us and we will check who is near you and what languages they work in.
What you pay
Nothing at the clinic on a no-co-payment plan, including endoscopy once the waiting period has passed. On a co-payment plan, a fixed amount for the consultation and a larger one for procedures.
See every Sanitas waiting period in one place, including how switching from another insurer waives nearly all of them.
Find a digestive specialist near you
Browse digestive specialists in the Sanitas directory – by province, with addresses, phone numbers and a map.
