It has been claimed that the Spanish authorities have told British expats who live in Spain that “we don’t vaccinate foreigners.”
There are an estimated 300,000 British expats living in Spain who spend millions into the economy through paying taxes, buying property and spending money into the local economy.
This horrific revelation comes as Spain have been cracking down on expats who live in the country and have been threatening to kick out thousands following Brexit.
If the allegations that have been made against Madrid then the Spanish government are in a flagrant breach of the withdrawal agreement.
Expats were told by officials that following Brexit they are no longer entitled to public health cards and must take out private health insurance.
Johns McKenzie who suffers with diabetes and a heart condition told the Telegraph that he tried to register at his local doctors surgery on four separate occasions to get vaccinated.
McKenzie said, “The first time they said they cannot register people on private insurance for the vaccine in the absence of any instruction from the Canarian government.”
McKenzie added that on another occasion he was told “Go away, we don’t vaccinated foreigners.”
He said, “It’s very frightening not being able to have the vaccine when you have health conditions like I do.
However, Kate Harmond, from Brighton, who now lives in Lanzarote with her husband said she was able to get her vaccination.
She said, “We had an appointment, but when we got there they said that we couldn’t have the vaccine as we did not have a public health card.
“Luckily, I had a Spanish friend with me and had photocopies of every single possible document you can imagine to prove we are residents, and we got our jabs.
“The next thing will be to see if we can get a vaccination certificate for travelling, or whether that will become the next battle.”
The British Embassy in Madrid said in a mail published on the Brits in Spain Facebook community last month, “We know that some of you are concerned about how you will be able to get the Covid-19 vaccine in Spain – particularly those of you who don’t receive state healthcare.
“The Spanish government has been very clear that they will provide the vaccine to everyone in Spain as a matter of public health, regardless of nationality or how you access healthcare in Spain.
“If you are already registered for state healthcare you will be contacted by your regional health service to make an appointment when it is your turn to be vaccinated.
“Because Spain operates its health system regionally, the way people access the vaccine will differ depending on where you live.”
The Embassy statement added, “The Spanish authorities are asking insurance companies to coordinate with regional health services in order to provide vaccines to their customers.”
Brexpats spokesman Jim Phillips said, “It’s very inconsistent. Some British residents feel excluded and others have been able to register.
“It’s a problem because the Canary Islands wants to open fully to tourism with 70% of the population vaccinated, and these people being excluded tend to live in key tourism areas.”