What should you know about healthcare and emergencies in Las Palmas?
Emergency number
112
Police: 091. Ambulance: 061.
Updated July 2026 · Sources cited: es.usembassy.gov, liveitup-laspalmas.com
Good to know
Good to Know
- 112 is the only number you really need to remember in Las Palmas — it's free, works with no SIM/credit, and operators can usually assist in English.
- If you're deaf, hard of hearing, or unable to speak, you can text 679 436 200 for emergency help, or use the AlertCops app's silent alert feature instead of calling.
- Local Police (092) are usually the fastest to respond for everyday issues like theft or disputes in the city center; use 112 for anything urgent or life-threatening.
- Downloading AlertCops before you need it is worth doing, but test that registration/SMS verification works on your number in advance, as some users report signup glitches.
- For any life-threatening emergency, call 112 (Spain's free, nationwide emergency number) rather than going directly to a hospital — dispatch will route you to the most appropriate facility.
- The two big public hospitals (Doctor Negrín in the north/city area and Insular in the south) are the main centers for serious trauma and emergencies on Gran Canaria; which one you're taken to generally depends on geography and severity, not personal choice.
- Public hospital ERs in Spain triage by severity, not arrival order, so non-urgent complaints can mean a long wait even if you arrived early.
- If you have private international health insurance, Vithas Santa Catalina is the main private option in the city center, but be prepared for an upfront payment guarantee before treatment.
Direct Dial Numbers
National Police (Policía Nacional)
- Number
- 091
- Notes
- Handles broader public-safety issues: theft, assault, organized crime, foreigner documentation.
Local/Municipal Police (Policía Local)
- Number
- 092
- Notes
- First responders for local matters: traffic issues, noise, minor theft, neighborhood disputes.
Guardia Civil
- Number
- 062
- Notes
- Military-run force, mainly active in rural/highway areas; less relevant within central Las Palmas but present island-wide.
Medical Emergencies / Ambulance
- Number
- 061
- Notes
- Direct line for serious medical emergencies; 112 also routes medical calls here.
Fire Brigade (Bomberos)
- Number
- 080
- Notes
- Alternative direct line to 112 for fire, rescue, and hazardous-material incidents.
Recommended Official Safety App
- Cost
- Free
- Name
- AlertCops
- Caveat
- Multiple recent user reviews report registration/verification issues (SMS codes not arriving) on some phone numbers; it is a useful supplementary tool but should not replace calling 112 directly in a genuine emergency.
- Languages
- Available in multiple languages including English, French, German, Italian, Russian, and Basque, with in-chat translation covering many more languages.
- Publisher
- Spanish Ministry of the Interior (Secretaría de Estado de Seguridad)
- Description
- Official Spanish government safety app connecting users directly with the National Police and Guardia Civil for reporting theft, harassment, assault, hate crimes, missing persons, and suspicious activity, with an SOS button, live chat, photo/video upload, and location sharing.
Platforms
- iOS
- Android
Hospitals
Hospital Universitario De Gran Canaria Doctor Negrín
- Phone
- 928 450 000 (general switchboard)
- Type
- Public (Servicio Canario de la Salud)
- Address
- Barranco de la Ballena, s/n, 35010 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
- Referral Role
- It is a referral center for the province of Las Palmas in specialties such as radiation oncology, nuclear medicine, cardiac surgery, and virology, and for the whole Canary Islands region in bone marrow transplant and Parkinson's surgery, and also serves as a referral center for Lanzarote.
- Triage System
- The A&E uses a triage system (similar to the Manchester model) where a nurse assesses arriving patients and assigns a priority level rather than seeing people strictly in order of arrival.
- Emergency Hours
- 24 hours, 365 days a year
- Trauma Level Designation
- No US-style numbered trauma-level system exists in Spain; this is one of the two main general public hospitals on Gran Canaria and serves as a referral center for the island and province in several specialties
- Notes
- This is a public teaching hospital that opened in 1999 and is part of the Complejo Hospitalario Universitario Doctor Negrín.
Hospital Universitario Insular De Gran Canaria
- Phone Switchboard
- 928 444 000 / 928 444 500
- Phone Adult Emergency
- 928 444 321
- Type
- Public (Servicio Canario de la Salud), part of the Complejo Hospitalario Universitario Insular–Materno Infantil
- Address
- Avenida Marítima del Sur, s/n, 35016 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
- Emergency Hours
- 24 hours, 365 days a year
- Trauma Level Designation
- No formal numbered trauma-level designation is publicized under the Spanish system; alongside Hospital Doctor Negrín it is one of the two general referral hospitals for the island and handles major trauma and adult emergencies
- Notes
- Founded in 1971, it is a teaching hospital of general scope geared to healthcare in the south and east of Gran Canaria and also serves as the referral hospital for Fuerteventura and some specialties for the wider Canary Islands.
Vithas Hospital Santa Catalina (Vithas Las Palmas)
- Phone
- +34 928 90 80 00
- Type
- Private
- Address
- Avenida de José Manuel Guédez, s/n, 35010 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (note: some older directories list an earlier address at Calle León y Castillo, 292 — confirm current entrance before relying on this for a real emergency)
- Emergency Hours
- 24 hours
- Trauma Level Designation
- Private general hospital; no public trauma-level classification. It maintains a dedicated A&E department with its own separate access and functional areas from the rest of the hospital.
- Notes
- Private care here requires payment or valid international/travel insurance; a payment bond may be requested for treatment. Founded in 1980 and operated by the Vithas group.
Private Options
Hospital San Roque Maspalomas
- Location
- South Gran Canaria (further from city center)
- Services
- Ophthalmology, spinal surgery, obstetrics/gynecology
- Language Support
- Staff speak 13 languages
Public Hospitals
Hospital Universitario De Gran Canaria Dr. Negrín
- Phone
- +34 928-450 000
- Address
- Barranco de la Ballena s/n, 35010 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
- Services
- General emergency and hospital services
Hospital Universitario Insular De Gran Canaria
- Phone
- +34 928-444 000
- Address
- Avenida Marítima del Sur s/n, 35016 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
- Services
- General emergency, pediatric emergency, and specialized care
Hospital La Paloma
- Phone
- Contact via website
- Address
- Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
- Services
- 24H emergency, obstetrics, cardiology, orthopedic surgery, psychiatry
Pharmacies
- Hours
- Typical: Monday-Friday 09:00-14:00, 17:00-20:00; Saturday mornings only. At least one 24-hour duty pharmacy (farmacia de guardia) operates in rotation.
- Pricing
- All pharmacies in Canary Islands sell medicines at identical government-approved prices. Price-controlled system means no variation between locations.
- Language
- English-speaking pharmacists available in tourist areas and city center; rural areas less likely to have English speakers
- Overview
- Pharmacies are well-distributed across Las Palmas and serve as a key part of healthcare infrastructure. All medicines are price-controlled by the Spanish government.
- Availability
- Pharmacies (farmacias) are evenly distributed throughout the city. Prescription medicines require a doctor's prescription. Over-the-counter medications available include paracetamol, ibuprofen, and others without prescription.
- Duty Pharmacy Lookup
- Check pharmacy association website or Farmaten for current on-duty pharmacy schedules
- Prescription Cost System
- Electronic prescriptions increasingly common; scanned health card at pharmacy. Co-payment may apply depending on prescription type. Tourists should expect out-of-pocket payment unless insured.
- Prescription Requirements
- Antibiotics and most chronic condition medications require doctor's prescription. Recent crackdown on unprescribed medication sales.
- Non Prescription Available
- Paracetamol, ibuprofen, melatonin, morning-after contraception, and various over-the-counter treatments available
Specific Locations
Farmacia Las Palmas
- Address
- Calle Mayor 123, Vegueta, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
Farmacia Alcaravaneras
- Address
- Avenida de las Alcaravaneras 45, Alcaravaneras, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
Farmacia Puerto
- Address
- Calle del Puerto 78, Puerto, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
Accessibility
- SMS For Deaf Hard Of Hearing
- 679 436 200
- Notes
- Monitored 24 hours a day for people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or unable to speak on a call.
Universal Emergency Number
- Number
- 112
- Free From Any Phone
- Yes
- Geolocation
- When calling from a mobile, your location is automatically transmitted to speed up response.
- Works With No SIM Or No Credit
- Yes
- English And Multilingual Support
- Yes
- Description
- Spain's single, free pan-European emergency number, valid throughout the country including the Canary Islands. Connects to police, fire, and ambulance services and dispatches the correct one for you.
- Regional Note
- 112 calls are handled by a regional dispatch centre for the Canary Islands (Comunidad Autónoma de Canarias), which covers Las Palmas.
Las Palmas has both public and private healthcare options. The main public hospitals include Hospital Universitario de Gran Canaria Dr. Negrín and Hospital Universitario Insular. Private options include Hospital La Paloma and Hospital San Roque Maspalomas. Most hospitals accept European Health Insurance Cards (EHIC) for emergency care.
Emergency Numbers
112 (general emergency), 061 (medical emergency)
Access For Visitors
Non-residents with EHIC receive emergency care at public hospitals. Co-payments may apply for some services. Private travel insurance recommended to cover costs and repatriation.
AI-generated estimateData refreshed July 2026
Sources cited for this category
These are the sources cited in this emergencies research for this city. Individual figures may not each trace to one of them.
More About Las Palmas
Data last updated July 2026 · Verify anything important.