Andorra Awards €24K Contract to Promote Catalan in Healthcare

Andorra's government has awarded a €24,035 contract to local firm Comando to create, produce and run a campaign boosting Catalan language use in healthcare.

The Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports made the award after launching a tender in May. The decision appeared in the Official Bulletin of the Principality of Andorra (BOPA) on Wednesday, with the process concluding on 26 August 2026. The campaign will run from contract signing until 31 December 2026 and aims to increase official language use among health professionals, where levels lag behind other public sectors.

New details reveal the effort will last four to six weeks in the second half of the year. It targets both workers and patients, highlighting citizens' right to Catalan-language care and staff duties to uphold linguistic rights. Formats will include posters, bus shelters, audiovisual and digital banners, and social media.

A key element is distribution of a new medical vocabulary tool with around 480 terms across 23 specialties, plus general concepts and equivalents in Spanish and French. Developed under a June agreement between the Language Policy Department and TERMCAT, it carries a separate €7,000 budget. TERMCAT will produce and edit 400 print copies, while the ministry reviews content and handles nationwide rollout to health professionals.

The push responds to 2022 sociolinguistic data showing low Catalan use in healthcare. At primary care centres, 79.5% of users report receiving care solely in Catalan, and 78% address staff in it. Hospital figures drop to 67% and 65%. Doctors see even lower rates: 61% for general practitioners and 51.5% for specialists. Users often switch languages if staff struggle with Catalan, and Spanish features prominently in internal communications despite legal requirements for Catalan proficiency and priority use in health facilities.