PT1-2 Current status balneotherapy in Spain
- VernacularTitle:PT1-2 Current status balneotherapy in Spain
- Author:
Francisco MARAVER
1
;
Carla MORER
2
Author Information
- Keywords: Balneotherapy; Balneology; Health Resort Medicine; Spain
- From:The Journal of The Japanese Society of Balneology, Climatology and Physical Medicine 2014;77(5):384-384
- CountryJapan
- Language:English
- Abstract: Balneotherapy or Health Resort Medicine has a long tradition in Spain. This tradition is still alive today. The main indication of balneotherapy in Spain is rheumatic diseases, especially joints’ degenerative disorders. There are, approximately, 2,000 mineral water springs with the public utility declaration. There are also currently working 119 Thermal Stations, which have 19,154 hotel rooms, with 4,047,000 overnight stays in 2012. They employ 5,310 workers and 904,000 customers enjoy, although not all of them are go in sanitary programs. Total revenue of thermal stations is 255 million euros. Balneotherapy research in Spain takes place mainly at the Complutense University of Madrid, in the Professional School of Medical Hydrology and Department of “Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Medical Hydrology” (Medicine Faculty) and other Universities such as those of Extremadura, Granada, Seville, Vigo and Zaragoza. Hydrotherapy and Aquatic Therapy in Universities: Catolica San Antonio de Murcia, Extremadura, Granada and Malaga and natural mineral waters in the Complutense University of Madrid. Moreover, this year we celebrate 25 years of the Balneotherapy Program of the Elder’s Institute and Social Services (IMSERSO) under the Ministry of Health. The program had 12,848 beds in 28 Spas in 1989 to 209,222 in 2014 in 105 Spas, which in economic terms means moving from 4.3 million euros provided by the IMSERSO in 1989 to 34 million in 2014, with an economic impact of more than 115.2 million adding the contribution of the beneficiaries. More than 2,500,000 people have benefited the program since its implementation.
