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Nose and sinus surgery in Spain for Irish public patients
Covered by the HSE under the Cross Border Directive.
A nose that is always blocked, or sinuses that stay inflamed, can disturb your breathing and your sleep month after month while you wait.
Your nose or sinus operation 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, 6,232 adults were waiting for ear, nose and throat surgery, which includes nose and sinus operations, in a public hospital in Ireland. About one in three of them had waited longer than a year.
National Treatment Purchase Fund, inpatient and day-case waiting list by specialty, September 2026
Your nose or sinus operation 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 nose or sinus operation.
Fill in the Consent Form
You · about 15 minutes
Your details and documents, uploaded securely. You need a referral from your GP or from the ear, nose and throat 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 nose or sinus operation in Spain. Only treatment for a medical reason is paid back.
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 nose or sinus operation, 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. These operations often need a check-up some weeks later; your GP can refer you for it in the public system.
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 nose or sinus operation costs you
Our service
Nothing. The hospital that treats you pays us a referral fee.
The hospital
One fixed price for your nose or sinus operation, in writing before you commit. You pay the hospital directly, before the HSE pays you back.
The HSE
Pays you back up to what your nose or sinus operation 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 nose or sinus operation
The HSE pays back the cost up to what your nose or sinus operation costs in an Irish public hospital. The HSE pays at the rate for the setting your 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. You receive the refund after the treatment, paid into your own account; travel, accommodation and a companion's costs stay with you. The price is set in writing before you accept, and when no hospital can offer one that the refund covers, we put the gap in writing and you choose whether to go ahead.
What is paid back, and when
Find out in one free call if a nose or sinus operation in Spain can work for you
Kaare Beck-Fischer, Chief Executive Officer
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What a nose or sinus operation involves
Nose and sinus surgery treats a nose that stays blocked or sinuses that stay inflamed when sprays and medicines have not helped. The surgeon may straighten the wall between the nostrils (a septoplasty), shrink the swollen ridges of tissue inside the nose, or open the narrow channels that drain the sinuses, using a thin camera and fine instruments passed through the nostrils. There is no cut on the face and the shape of the nose does not change. It is usually done under a general anaesthetic.
The nose feels blocked and drips for a week or two while it heals, and the surgeon may fit soft splints for a few days. Breathing then opens up over the following weeks. The aim is a nose that breathes freely, better sleep and fewer sinus infections.
Questions about a nose or sinus operation
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 operations does this cover?
Operations such as straightening the wall between the nostrils, sinus surgery, and surgery to reduce the swollen lining inside the nose. Surgery to change the look of the nose is not paid back: the HSE pays only for treatment the public system provides for medical reasons.
What must my referral letter say?
It should name the operation your consultant recommends and the problem it treats. Because only treatment for a medical reason is paid back, a letter that makes the medical reason clear helps your claim. If your letter is unclear, we tell you what to ask your GP for.
What about the check-up afterwards?
Nose and sinus operations often need a check-up some weeks later. We ask the hospital how it handles this for patients who live abroad and put its answer in the written proposal. Your GP can also refer you for follow-up in the Irish public system.
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
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