Catalonia and Andorra develop health cooperation agreement

Barcelona (ACN).- The Catalan and Andorran Governments have signed an agreement to set up a juridical framework for attending to patients on both sides of the border. Health cooperation among these territories already exists, but they are now putting “all juridical force” into sharing clinical records and carrying out transfers between the territories. This also includes “more guarantees for follow-ups”, as the Andorran Minister for Health, Cristina Rodríguez, explained. On the other hand, Catalan patients will be able to benefit from psychiatric services, dialysis and image diagnosis in Andorra. The agreement also establishes a joint emergency services agreement between both territories.

The Andorran Minister assured that the agreement will give juridical security in being able to share patient’s clinical records. According to Rodríguez, Andorra cannot assume the most complicated surgeries, thus Andorran patients must be moved to Catalan main hospitals. It is calculated that among 4,000 to 5,000 Andorrans are attended to every year in Catalonia. On the other hand, there are 2,000 Catalans that live in Catalonia but work in Andorra that can benefit from the agreement between the two health systems. The agreement has been signed by the Andorran Minister for Health, Marina Geli. The Minister mentioned that the agreement also establishes emergency services cooperation between the two territories so that they may act together and coordinate when necessary. On the other hand, the Minister also noted that at the end of year Andorra will incorporate itself into the umbilical cord, blood and tissue donation network of Catalonia. In this way, a woman who has a baby in Andorra will also be able to donate its umbilical cord.