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Hysterectomy in Spain for Irish public patients
Covered by the HSE under the Cross Border Directive.
Heavy bleeding, fibroids or pelvic pain can affect your work, your sleep and your daily life for every month you wait for a hysterectomy.
Your hysterectomy 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, 6,565 women were waiting for gynaecological surgery in a public hospital in Ireland. More than one in four of them had waited longer than six months.
National Treatment Purchase Fund, inpatient and day-case waiting list by specialty, September 2026
Your hysterectomy 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 hysterectomy.
Fill in the Consent Form
You · about 15 minutes
Your details and documents, uploaded securely. You need a referral for a hysterectomy from your GP or from a consultant you saw as a public patient, or the letter showing you are on the public gynaecology 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 hysterectomy 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 hysterectomy, 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. Plan to be away for your nights in hospital and a few more days nearby; the hospital's written plan says how many.
Your treatment abroad
The hospital
You meet your surgeon in person before you are admitted (for a hysterectomy the HSE does not accept a video call), 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. Recovery usually takes some weeks; ask the surgeon about lifting, driving and work before you leave.
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 hysterectomy costs you
Our service
Nothing. The hospital that treats you pays us a referral fee.
The hospital
One fixed price for your hysterectomy, 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 hysterectomy costs in the Irish public system, at the inpatient rate, in 45 days on average (2024).
The detail for a hysterectomy
For a hysterectomy, the HSE pays back the cost of the treatment up to what the operation costs in the Irish public system, or the hospital's invoice if lower. In Ireland a hysterectomy means a stay of several nights, so the refund is at the inpatient rate. It reaches you after the operation, paid into your own account, and it leaves out travel, accommodation and a companion. Before you accept, the hospital's price is fixed in writing; if no hospital offers a price the refund covers, we show you the gap in writing and the decision is yours.
What is paid back, and when
Find out in one free call if a hysterectomy in Spain can work for you
Kaare Beck-Fischer, Chief Executive Officer
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What a hysterectomy involves
A hysterectomy is an operation to remove the womb. Depending on the reason for it, the surgeon may also remove the cervix, the fallopian tubes or the ovaries, and you agree beforehand what will be taken and what will stay. It can be done through a cut in the lower abdomen, through the vagina with no outside cut, or by keyhole surgery through small cuts; which is best depends on the size of the womb and the reason for the operation. It is done under a general or a spinal anaesthetic.
Periods stop and pregnancy is no longer possible. If the ovaries are removed before the menopause, the menopause starts straight away, which the surgeon discusses with you in advance. Recovery takes some weeks, with no heavy lifting while the inside heals. The aim is an end to the bleeding or pain that led to the operation.
Questions about a hysterectomy
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 pageWhich kind of hysterectomy?
A hysterectomy can be done through a cut in the abdomen, through the vagina, or by keyhole surgery. Which is right for you is for the surgeon to decide with you at the consultation. Your written proposal names the method the price is for.
How long will I be away?
That depends on the hospital's plan for you, which you see in the written proposal before you accept: the nights in hospital, then some days of rest close to the hospital before the surgeon says you can fly. The surgeon decides for each patient.
What about recovery at home?
Recovery usually takes some weeks. You bring home the hospital's discharge report and its advice on rest and activity; ask the surgeon before you leave about lifting, driving and going back to work. Your GP takes over your care and arranges any follow-up in the Irish public system in the usual way.
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 meet the surgeon in person before you are admitted. 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
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