The waiting lists once again break records and there are already almost 800,000 patients without surgery

MADRID, 4 Abr. (EUROPA PRESS) -

Public health has once again reached its all-time high of patients on the waiting list for non-urgent surgery in the National Health System (SNS) as a whole, with 793,521, according to data as of December 31, 2022 published by the Ministry of Health this Tuesday.

Thus, there are 86,781 more people on the waiting list than a year ago, 12.28 percent more, and 51,003 more than in June (742,518), 6.87 percent more. The average time for an intervention is now 122 days, compared to 113 in June 2022, although it is one day less than a year ago.

Health points out, however, that "the average waiting time is at values ​​very similar to those of December 2021", when surgical activity was recovered after COVID-19, "and even to dates prior to the start of the pandemic".

However, 22 percent of patients have been waiting for more than six months to be operated on, which again represents a worsening compared to a year ago (20.3%) and June 2022, when this percentage was 17.6 percent.

As usual, the specialty with the largest number of patients is Traumatology with 190,990 patients waiting (177,239 a year ago and 187,404 in June 2022); It is followed by Ophthalmology with 172,093 patients (150,355 in December 2021 and 159,218 in June of last year). Meanwhile, the specialty with the lowest number of patients is Thoracic Surgery, with 2,418 (2,101 in December 2021 and 2,355 in June), followed by Cardiac Surgery with 3,642 (3,533 a year ago and 3,304 in June).

The specialties with the longest average waiting time are Plastic Surgery with 242 days (226 in June) and Neurosurgery with 203 (193 six months ago). Meanwhile, Dermatology with 75 days (12 more than in June) and Cardiac Surgery with 80 (75 in June) are the specialties with the lowest average waiting times.

The 11 clinical processes that are specifically monitored in this information system have an average waiting time of 95 days (90 six months ago). The average delay registered for cataract interventions, one of the most frequent processes, is 74 days (70 in June). Surgery for benign prostatic hypertrophy stands at 131 days, the same as in June, and the operation for 'bunions' at 133 (122 six months ago).

By autonomous communities, Castilla-La Mancha and the Canary Islands have the longest waiting time for the operation, with 157 days, ahead of Extremadura (156), Cantabria (154) and Catalonia (154). The least affected autonomies are Madrid (63 days), the Basque Country (73) and Galicia (75).

There are a total of nine autonomous communities with a national waiting period of 122 days: Andalucía (134), Aragón (128), the Balearic Islands (124), the Canary Islands, Cantabria, Castilla y León (123), Castilla-La Mancha, Catalonia and Extremadura. Below this threshold are: Madrid, the Basque Country, Galicia, Asturias (94), the Valencian Community (88), Murcia (100), Navarra (85), La Rioja (111), Ceuta (82) and Melilla (39). .

The autonomy with the most patients on the waiting list if the population per 1,000 inhabitants is taken into account is, as usual, La Rioja (with 8,738 patients in total), slightly above Cantabria (15,314). Behind is Asturias (22,956), Catalonia (173,494) or Extremadura (21,786). At the opposite extreme is Melilla (barely 400 patients), the Basque Country (23,029), Madrid (72,626) and the Balearic Islands (13,757).

The Autonomous Communities that have more patients waiting for more than six months are Cantabria (32.3%), Extremadura (32%) and Catalonia (31.6%). Less than 30 percent have Andalusia (25.3%), Aragon (25.6%), Asturias (13.1%), the Balearic Islands (22.2%), the Canary Islands (28.5%), Castilla y León ( 24.9%), Castilla-La Mancha (29%), Valencian Community (13.5%), Galicia (6.7%), Madrid (4.3%), Murcia (18%), Navarra (10, 9%), the Basque Country (7.1%), La Rioja (22.9%), Ceuta (13.1%) and Melilla (0%).