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Gallbladder removal in Spain for Irish public patients
Covered by the HSE under the Cross Border Directive.
Gallstones can cause sudden attacks of pain under the ribs, often after a meal, and a long wait can mean planning your days around the next attack.
Your gallbladder removed without the public wait: a fixed price in a private hospital in Spain, paid back by the HSE. The hospital, the surgeon, the price and your stay are in writing before you decide.
Free · no commitment · no documents · by video or phone, at a time you pick
Your right under EU law since 2011
2,266claims paid back to Irish patients in 2024
Your rights under the schemeAt the end of September 2026, 17,433 adults were waiting for general surgery, which includes gallbladder operations, in a public hospital in Ireland. Almost one in five of them had waited longer than a year.
National Treatment Purchase Fund, inpatient and day-case waiting list by specialty, September 2026
Your gallbladder removal in Spain, step by step.
Eight steps from the first conversation to your refund. You commit at step 4, not before.
Before you commit
Stop at any time, at no cost
Talk to us
You
Schedule a free call, by video or phone, at a time you pick. We answer your questions and tell you how the route works for a gallbladder removal.
Fill in the Consent Form
You · about 15 minutes
Your details and documents, uploaded securely. You need a referral for gallbladder removal from your GP or from a consultant you saw as a public patient, or a letter showing you are on the public waiting list.
We determine your eligibility
Ablement · within 1 to 2 working days
You get a clear yes or no on whether you are eligible for a gallbladder removal in Spain.
We find a private hospital
Ablement · within 5 working days of a complete file
We ask the hospitals and send you one written proposal: the hospital, the surgeon, the price of your gallbladder removal, the dates and your expected refund.
After you commit
We stay with you to the refund
Your date is confirmed
The hospital
The hospital confirms your date in writing within 10 working days of your acceptance, and then you book your travel. Whether you stay a night in hospital depends on your operation and your surgeon; the hospital's written plan says how long you will be away.
Your treatment abroad
The hospital
If you stay overnight, you meet your surgeon in person before you are admitted, as the HSE requires; for a day case you can talk by video or phone before you travel, where the hospital offers it. Then you have your operation and fly home when the surgeon says you are fit to fly. You pay the hospital directly and send us the documents for your claim.
We claim your refund
Ablement · within 5 working days of your return
We send your signed claim to the HSE and follow it until you are paid. The HSE paid in 45 days on average in 2024.
Your aftercare at home
Your GP
Your GP and the public system take over, as if you had the operation at home. You bring home the discharge report in English and a list of any medicines you were given.
One contact person, from the first conversation to the refund.
Easy to reach at every step. A family member can join every call.
What a gallbladder removal costs you
Our service
Nothing. The hospital that treats you pays us a referral fee.
The hospital
One fixed price for your gallbladder removal, in writing before you commit. You pay the hospital directly, before the HSE pays you back.
The HSE
Pays you back up to what a gallbladder removal costs in the Irish public system, at the rate for the setting it would have had in Ireland, a day case or an overnight stay, in 45 days on average (2024).
The detail for a gallbladder removal
The HSE refunds the cost of your gallbladder removal up to what the operation costs in the Irish public system, or the invoice if that is lower. The HSE pays at the rate for the setting the operation would have had in Ireland, as a day case or with an overnight stay, whatever your stay abroad; your proposal shows the expected refund. The money is paid to you after the treatment, into your own account, and never for flights, accommodation or a companion. Your price is agreed in writing with the hospital before you accept; should no hospital offer a price the refund covers, we show you the gap in writing and you decide.
What is paid back, and when
Find out in one free call if a gallbladder removal in Spain can work for you
Kaare Beck-Fischer, Chief Executive Officer
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What a gallbladder removal involves
The gallbladder is a small pouch under the liver that stores bile. When stones form in it and cause attacks of pain, or inflammation, the usual treatment is to remove the gallbladder with the stones in it. The operation is nearly always done by keyhole surgery, through three or four small cuts, under a general anaesthetic, and takes about an hour; in a small number of cases the surgeon needs to switch to open surgery through one larger cut.
The liver goes on making bile and sends it straight to the bowel, so you can eat normally without a gallbladder. The aim is an end to the attacks. Most people are back to their usual activities within a couple of weeks of a keyhole operation.
Questions about a gallbladder removal
Short answers to what people ask us most. Open a question to read the answer.
All frequently asked questionsYour question isn't here?
Ask us in the chat Or send us a message from the Contact pageIs it keyhole surgery?
Usually yes. Most gallbladders are removed by keyhole surgery, through a few small cuts. In some cases the surgeon needs to use open surgery instead. The surgeon decides for each patient.
How long is the hospital stay?
That depends on the hospital's plan for you, which you see in the written proposal before you accept. Then you rest at your hotel nearby for a few days until the surgeon says you are fit to fly. The surgeon decides for you.
What do I bring home for my GP?
The hospital's discharge report in English, a list of any medicines you were given, and the follow-up plan. Your GP takes over your care from there. Keep every invoice and receipt from the hospital too; your claim needs them, and we check them with you before you fly home.
Will I lose my place on the Irish waiting list?
No. The HSE's rules do not ask you to leave the list to use the scheme, and you stay on it until you have been treated. Once your operation is done abroad, you let the Irish hospital know, so it can take you off the list. If you change your mind before then, nothing has changed at home.
Do I have to pay up front?
Yes. You pay the hospital directly, and the HSE pays you back afterwards, in 45 days on average in 2024. Some people use savings, help from their family or a credit union loan. We do not lend money or arrange loans, and no money of yours passes through us.
Is it safe, and what if something goes wrong?
You see the hospital and the surgeon's name in writing before you decide anything, and you have a consultation with the surgeon before the operation. Every hospital we work with must be registered with its country's health authorities, use surgeons who specialise in the operation, give its price and its terms on complications in writing, and give you an English-speaking contact person. The hospital that treats you is responsible for your care, and it must have a complaints procedure. We help you deal with the hospital, and at home your GP takes over as after any operation.
Why is your help free? What's the catch?
There is no catch. The hospital that treats you pays us a referral fee; you never pay us anything, and the hospital's price is fixed in writing before you accept. You can stop at any time before you sign with the hospital.
Will the HSE really pay me back?
The Cross Border Directive is EU law, and the HSE paid 2,266 claims from Irish patients in 2024 alone. The refund is yours when the paperwork is right: the referral, the consultation, the itemised invoice and your receipt. We prepare the claim with you, and before you travel you can send the HSE a prior notification, which tells you in advance whether you are eligible and gives an indication of the amount.
Can a family member come with me, or join the calls?
Yes. A family member can join every call and meeting, be named on your Consent Form and travel with you. Their travel and hotel are your own cost.
Find out if this route can work for you
One free call, by video or phone. No commitment and no documents.
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