Ambulance Service in Ibiza Under Strain Due to Drug-Related Calls
The ambulance service on the Spanish island of Ibiza warns it is nearing a breaking point because of repeated emergency calls involving partygoers suffering adverse reactions to recreational drugs.
Local emergency workers report that up to one-third of calls are linked to clubs, some of which hold as many as 10,000 people, with most incidents tied to drug use. Unions are urging venue owners to hire private medical teams.
“It’s unacceptable that highly profitable businesses refuse to cover this cost, overwhelming public emergency services at the expense of the local community,” said José Manuel Maroto, president of Ibiza’s health services union, speaking to *CuriosityNews*. He noted that while clubs must employ nurses, they are not required to provide ambulances, leaving public services to shoulder the expense.
Maroto added that the island’s 161,000 residents should not face reduced emergency care due to the needs of 3.6 million yearly visitors. Currently, only one major venue, DC-10, uses a private ambulance provider.
Once a key stop on Europe’s hippie trail, Ibiza has been a major destination for dance music enthusiasts since the 1980s. Early venues like Amnesia and Pacha paved the way, but the growth of the party scene—and the drugs accompanying it—has since become central to the island’s economy.
Last month, Hollywood actor Will Smith attended the opening of UNVRS, the island’s largest club, where admission starts at €100 and drinks cost up to €25. Regional officials estimate that tourists spend 15% of their budget on nightlife, though some visitors criticize the commercialization of the scene, with high-profile DJs demanding steep fees.
A study by *El Diario de Ibiza* ranked the island as the third most expensive Mediterranean getaway, after Saint-Tropez and Capri. A significant share of revenue goes to businesses owned by former footballer and politician Abel Matutes and his family, Ibiza’s most influential figures. They control three major clubs—Ushuaïa, Hï Ibiza, and UNVRS—alongside hotels in Spain, Mexico, and the U.S.
Drugs remain a lucrative part of the underground economy, with frequent large seizures. Authorities recovered over one million MDMA doses in a single raid last year. Research in *European Psychiatry* documented 58 drug-related deaths on the island between 2010 and 2016, with young British nationals accounting for 36%.
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