Good to know · Health

Know urgent care vs the ER (and when to call 112)

For life-threatening emergencies call 112; for less urgent problems start with your health center or a hospital emergency department, and know which local hospitals have an urgencias service.

Why it matters

Knowing where to go at night or at a weekend, and that 112 is free, matters most when you do not yet have a GP or speak Spanish well.

When

You or a family member suddenly fall ill or get injured, or you want to know the plan before it happens.

Last checked

7 Oct 2026

Cost: Not found in sources. Public emergency care for people with SESPA entitlement is generally covered; costs for private-insurance or uninsured patients not verified.

What you need

• Life-threatening emergency: call 112 (free, works without a SIM-network signal on mobiles according to a council welcome guide for immigrants).
• Public-system access to non-emergency care normally needs the Asturias health card (GLIFE-0005); the Hospital de Jove guide says its urgencias can be reached 'referred from primary care, through 112 or by going directly'.

Steps

1. Life-threatening or time-critical emergency: call 112
   112 is the single European emergency number; a council welcome guide for immigrants says it is free and can be used even without mobile coverage. Asturias’s health emergency coordination appears as 'Urgencias sanitarias-112 SAMU Asturias' in the Ministry of Health’s urgent-care report.
2. Know your nearest emergency department
   Hospital de Jove (Fundación Hospital de Jove) has an emergency service: Avda. Eduardo Castro 161, 33290 Gijón, tel 985 32 00 50. The 2019 patient guide describes it as a private foundation with a 'Convenio Singular de vinculación a la Red Hospitalaria Pública del Principado de Asturias' for 2019, acting as a district hospital. Hospital Universitario de Cabueñes is Gijón’s main public hospital (named in SESPA documents); its address, phone and ER details were not verified. Update: Hospital Universitario de Cabueñes is at Calle Los Prados 395, Gijón, per a BOE contract notice (2006, address only; confirm current ER entrance and phone locally).
3. For non-urgent problems use primary care
   Book a same-day or next-day appointment at your assigned health center (see GLIFE-0062, GLIFE-0015) rather than going to an ER.
4. Out-of-hours primary care (PAC/SUAP)
   Not verified for Gijón: see local_verification_needed. Ask your health center which service covers evenings, nights and weekends.

Tips

• Save 112 in your phone: it is free and works without mobile coverage.
• Bring your health card (or private-insurance card) and passport/TIE if you can, but do not delay calling 112 for documents.

Official sources

• Guía del paciente (2019): urgencias, access routes, address
• Guía de acogida para inmigrantes (112 information)
• Urgencias extrahospitalarias: organización en el SNS (2022), lists Asturias 112 SAMU

Do these first

• Know how to call 112 in Asturias
• Obtain the Asturias public health card (tarjeta sanitaria)
• Find your assigned public health center (centro de salud)
• Book a GP appointment (cita previa SESPA)