The Hospital That Now Comes to You

In April 2026, something quietly significant happened in Marbella that most relocation guides won't mention for another year. Hospital Quirónsalud Marbella launched a new Home Care Unit designed to perform certain diagnostic procedures, clinical care, and healthcare interventions directly in the patient's home — enhancing continuity of care and reducing unnecessary travel. This isn't a private GP visiting with a stethoscope. The unit can carry out at-home blood tests, clinical controls, ECGs, and non-invasive cardiac monitoring — and it also handles postoperative supervision including wound assessment, stitch removal, drain management, infection checks, and pain management support.

For those considering a move from Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver or Paris, this development crystallises something worth understanding about healthcare on the Costa del Sol: the private system here has been quietly evolving into something that would be unrecognisable to anyone still imagining a village clinic. The unit is designed to address three distinct healthcare needs: general nursing care for chronic patients, elderly individuals, or those with reduced mobility; pre-surgical preparation at home; and structured post-operative follow-up after hospital discharge. All interventions are recorded in the patient's electronic clinical history, ensuring coordinated follow-up between all professionals involved.

To make an enquiry, contact the Home Care Unit at homecare.mbl@quironsalud.es or by phone at +34 686 486 256.

The Hospital Infrastructure Behind It

Quirónsalud Marbella's new Home Care Unit didn't emerge in isolation. The hospital has been on a significant expansion trajectory. It opened three new floors in the Singlehome building in April 2025, adding 6,500 square metres of clinical space across three levels. As part of the same expansion, the hospital introduced an AI-powered Scribe project — a generative artificial intelligence tool that transcribes and interprets consultations between doctor and patient, filtering irrelevant information and optimising the appointment. Quirónsalud Marbella became the first hospital in Andalucía within the group to replace traditional reception desks with personalised health management points.

The result is a hospital that operates as a private multidisciplinary reference centre on the Costa del Sol, staffed by more than 500 professionals and equipped with the latest medical technologies. The Quirónsalud group operates seven hospital centres across Andalucía — in Málaga, Marbella, Los Barrios, two in Seville, Córdoba and Huelva — plus 18 specialist and diagnostic medical centres.

The Other Major Private Hospitals: Vithas Xanit and HM Hospitales

Quirónsalud Marbella is not the only serious option. Residents between Fuengirola and Benalmádena are served by Hospital Vithas Xanit Internacional, which completed a major expansion funded by a €16 million investment by the Vithas group. The hospital effectively doubled its capacity, growing from 12,000 to 25,000 square metres. It now has 141 single rooms, 16 ICU stations with natural light, 7 operating theatres, 2 endoscopy rooms, 4 hospital floors and 51 outpatient consulting rooms.

What makes Vithas Xanit particularly relevant for international residents is its genuine multilingual infrastructure. The hospital has an International Services department offering personalised care to foreign patients in 16 languages. More than 40% of its patients are foreigners from many different countries. It carries JCI (Joint Commission International) accreditation — one of only eight hospitals in all of Spain to hold it. The Vithas group also operates eight medical centres across Málaga province, in Nerja, Rincón de la Victoria, Torre del Mar, Torremolinos and Fuengirola — which matters if you're living west of Marbella and don't want to drive forty minutes for a specialist appointment.

Between these two, HM Hospitales (HC Marbella International Hospital, on Calle Ventura del Mar) rounds out the primary private hospital network. It is particularly well regarded for oncology and complex diagnostics, and draws patients from across Europe specifically for second opinions and planned surgical procedures.

What Private Healthcare Actually Costs in 2026

Numbers matter. Here are the real figures, not ballpark estimates:

Private health insurance costs vary significantly by age. Private insurance ranges widely — expect approximately €80–€160 per month in your 30s and 40s, €130–€220 per month in your 50s, and €180–€300+ per month in your 60s depending on coverage and insurer. For standard plans without co-payment, realistic Costa del Sol market rates from providers like Adeslas, ASISA or Sanitas run €50–€90 per month for those under 50 in good health. Providers like Sanitas, Adeslas, Asisa, and Cigna offer visa-compliant plans.

One option that many residents underestimate: the Convenio Especial. This costs €60 per month for those under 65 and €157 per month for those over 65, and grants full access to Spain's public system — GP, specialists, hospital, and subsidised prescriptions (typically 40% off). Many expats who have established residency find that combining the Convenio Especial with a basic private top-up of €40–€80 per month gives better overall coverage at lower cost than a fully private plan.

The Gap That Surprises Most Newcomers: Mental Health

One area where the private system on the Costa del Sol still lags behind is mental health — and it's worth naming directly. Spain offers public mental health services through the SNS, free at point of use for registered residents, but access to therapy — particularly talk therapy — is limited, and waiting times can be significant. Mental health is one of the biggest gaps in many private insurance plans, which either exclude it entirely or cap sessions at five to ten per year; dental is almost always a separate add-on.

A one-hour session with a private therapist costs around €80–€120, broadly comparable to equivalent private-pay rates in France or Germany, and generally lower than in major US or Australian cities. English-speaking psychologists are available on the Costa del Sol — particularly in Marbella and Fuengirola — though supply is thinner than in Madrid or Barcelona. Sanitas Premium and some Adeslas plans include mental health coverage; basic plans rarely do. If psychological support matters to you, read the policy small print before you sign.

The Strategic Approach Most Long-Term Residents Use

After a few years here, a pattern emerges. On the Costa del Sol in 2026, the winning healthcare setup for many expats is not 'public or private' — it is public for catastrophic or complex care and private for speed. For life-threatening emergencies, experienced residents advise going public: Hospital Costa del Sol in Marbella has a 24/7 urgencias that is free regardless of insurance status and handles trauma as well as any private facility. Private insurance earns its cost on a Wednesday afternoon when you need a dermatologist by Friday, not during a cardiac emergency.

The practical steps on arrival are straightforward: get your NIE and Padrón registration in order, open a Spanish bank account, and decide your healthcare route before you need it. If you're on a Non-Lucrative Visa or Digital Nomad Visa, a compliant private insurance policy is a legal requirement from day one — there is no grace period. Mava Signature works with clients from Canada, the United States, France, Belgium, Switzerland and Russia, and can connect you with English-speaking gestoría professionals in Fuengirola, Mijas, Estepona and Marbella who navigate exactly this process daily.

Why This Matters for Property Decisions

Healthcare infrastructure is not a footnote to a property purchase — for anyone over 50, or arriving with a family, it is often the deciding factor between neighbourhoods. Benalmádena and El Higuerón sit within fifteen minutes of Vithas Xanit. Nueva Andalucía and the Marbella Golden Mile are within ten minutes of Quirónsalud Marbella. Estepona, where Mava Signature is seeing strong new-build demand in 2026, has its own Hospiten Estepona for acute care, with Quirónsalud reachable in under thirty minutes.

The new Home Care Unit at Quirónsalud Marbella is, in one sense, a small operational development. In another, it reflects a broader shift: the Costa del Sol's private hospital sector is investing in depth, not just capacity, and building services around how international residents actually want to live — including the idea that after knee surgery at sixty-three, a skilled nurse arriving at your apartment in Nueva Andalucía to change your dressing is a more rational outcome than a forty-five-minute taxi ride.

Are you planning your move for 2026 or 2027? The healthcare route you choose affects your visa, your tax position under Beckham Law, and ultimately which neighbourhoods and developments make most sense for your situation. If you'd like to discuss how the different areas between Fuengirola and Marbella stack up — including proximity to hospitals — the team at Mava Signature is here to have that conversation honestly.