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Tonsil surgery in Spain for Irish public patients
Covered by the HSE under the Cross Border Directive.
Tonsillitis that keeps coming back can cost you days of work and sleep each time, and adults in Ireland often wait a long time for the operation.
Your tonsil 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 tonsil operations, in a public hospital in Ireland. More than half of them had waited longer than six months.
National Treatment Purchase Fund, inpatient and day-case waiting list by specialty, September 2026
Your tonsil 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 tonsil 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 tonsil operation 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 tonsil 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. Show your GP the discharge report, and ask the surgeon before you leave what to watch for while you heal.
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 tonsil operation costs you
Our service
Nothing. The hospital that treats you pays us a referral fee.
The hospital
One fixed price for your tonsil 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 a tonsillectomy 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 tonsil operation
The HSE pays back the cost up to what a tonsillectomy costs in an Irish public hospital. 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. Either way the money comes to you, into your own account, once the treatment is over, and it never covers travel, a hotel or a companion's costs. The hospital commits to its price in writing before you accept, and if none of the hospitals we ask can stay within the refund, we show you the difference in writing so that you can decide.
What is paid back, and when
Find out in one free call if a tonsil operation in Spain can work for you
Kaare Beck-Fischer, Chief Executive Officer
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What a tonsil operation involves
A tonsillectomy removes both tonsils, the two pads of tissue at the back of the throat, when tonsillitis keeps coming back or the tonsils cause other problems. It is done under a general anaesthetic, through the mouth, so there is no cut on the outside; the operation takes about half an hour.
The throat is sore for about two weeks afterwards, often worse in the first week than on the day itself, and adults find the recovery harder than children do. Eating and drinking normally, with painkillers, helps the throat heal. There is a small risk of bleeding from the wound in the first two weeks, which is why surgeons ask you to stay near the hospital after the operation. The aim is an end to the repeated infections and the days lost to them.
Questions about a tonsil 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 pageIs tonsil surgery for adults paid back?
Yes, when the Irish public system would provide it for you and the rules are met. That means a referral letter, a consultation with the surgeon before the operation, and proof that you paid the hospital from your own account. We look at your own case and your letter before we propose a hospital.
How long will I be in Spain?
It can be a day case or a night in hospital. After a tonsil operation, surgeons usually ask you to stay close to the hospital for longer than after most day operations before you fly, so that they can check on your recovery. The surgeon decides when you are ready, and the proposal tells you in advance how long the hospital usually expects you to stay.
Does this page cover children?
Our pages are written for adults, and the figures above are for adults. If you are looking into this for a child, schedule a free call: we look at each child's case on the call and tell the family honestly what we can do.
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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