page_title: Spanish National Health System
section_title: Purview of local governments in matters of health
hierarchical_section_title: Spanish National Health System / Governing agencies / Purview of local governments in matters of health
context_page_description: The Spanish National Health System is the agglomeration of public healthcare services that has existed in Spain since it was established through and structured by the Ley General de Sanidad of 1986. Management of these services has been progressively transferred to the distinct autonomous communities of Spain, while some continue to be operated by the National Institute of Health Management, part of the Ministry of Health and Social Policy. The activity of these services is harmonized by the Interterritorial Council of the Spanish National Health Service in order to give cohesion to the system and to guarantee the rights of citizens throughout Spain.
  Article 46 of the Ley General de Sanidad establishes the fundamental characteristics of the SNS:
  a. Extension of services to the entire population.
  b. Adequate organization to provide comprehensive health care, including promotion of health, prevention of disease, treatment and rehabilitation.
  c. Coordination and, as needed, integration of all public health resources into a single system.
  d.
context_section_description: Article 42 of the General Health Law sets out that ayuntamientos—municipal governments—have the following responsibilities with respect to health, without prejudice to the purview of other public administrative bodies:
  a) Health control of the environment: air pollution, water supply [and water quality], wastewater treatment, urban and industrial residue.
  b) Health control of industries, activities and services, transport, noise and vibrations.
  c) Health control of buildings and places of human residence or gathering, especially of food centers, hairdressers, saunas and centers of personal hygiene, hotels and residential centers, schools, tourist campsites and areas of physical activity for sports and recreation.
  d) Health control of perishable food distribution and supply, beverages and other products directly or indirectly related to human use or consumption, such as means of transport.
  e) Health control of cemeteries and mortuary health policy.
caption: Air pollution; this photo is from Shanghai, China.
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