SEVILLE, 17 (EUROPA PRESS)
The Minister of Health and Consumer Affairs of the Government of Andalusia, Rocío Hernández, asked this Thursday to “well analyze the data” on the waiting lists – updated this past Wednesday by the Ministry of Health – and has pointed to under-financing. of the community as a factor “to take into account”. On behalf of the PSOE, deputy Ángeles Prieto has called on citizens to “flood” the streets on November 17 to “tell the Moreno Government that we are not going to allow them to leave us without public health care.
When asked by the socialists about the situation of waiting lists, the Minister of Health questioned “comparing” Andalusia with other communities, “being a community of 8.5 million inhabitants” and with a situation of “underfinancing.” “This must be taken into account,” he pointed out to the socialist parliamentary group, which, on the other hand, has warned of “traps and manipulations on waiting lists.”
“Waiting lists are costing lives. People are dying because of waiting lists,” Rep. Prieto reproached Rocío Hernández. For this reason, he has asked citizens to “claim” the Moreno PP Government. “We stopped the privatization of Primary Care with social support. Now, we must demand that they not leave us without public health. I call on citizens to protest and flood the streets on November 17. We must tell the Government of Moreno that we are not going to allow them to leave us without public health,” he argued.
The Andalusian Health Service (SAS), dependent on the Ministry of Health and Consumer Affairs of the Government of Andalusia, has operated on 215,865 Andalusians from January to June 2024, 8% more than in the same period last year (16,126 in concrete), and has assured that “it has improved in all indicators” after knowing this Wednesday the data updated by the Ministry of Health on the surgical waiting lists and consultation with the specialist.
From the Ministry of Rocío Hernández they have told Europa Press that “we are aware that the waiting lists are high and that is why we are activating all the measures within our reach to reverse the situation.” At this point, the Board has insisted that “in Andalusia there is more surgery, more external consultations and more tests are carried out.” “More patients continue to enter the surgical waiting list, making it more difficult to reduce waiting lists more quickly,” he added.
At the end of June 2024, Andalusian public health recorded a total of 203,979 patients on the surgical waiting list, both within and outside the maximum period established by the community guarantee decree. This represents a decrease in surgical waiting lists of 1,026 patients compared to December 31 of last year. Andalusia, together with the 189,472 patients in Catalonia on the surgical waiting list, represent 46% of the total in Spain. In average waiting time, Andalusia is first, with 169, which is equivalent to exceeding the average by 48 days.
If you look at the rate per 1,000 inhabitants, the one with the most patients on the list is Cantabria (29.21 people per 1,000 inhabitants), followed by Andalusia (24.40), Catalonia (24.17), Extremadura (23.85 ), Asturias (23.39) and Murcia (22.3), which exceeds the average of 17.93 per 1,000 inhabitants; while in waiting time, after Andalusia, are Extremadura (164), Cantabria and Aragón (139), Catalonia (137) and the Canary Islands (127).
Regarding a first consultation, taking into account the rate per 1,000 inhabitants, Madrid (118.59), Asturias (109.98), Andalusia (101.53) and Navarra are above the average (83.79). (94.26). By waiting time, the Canary Islands are at 147 days, Andalusia with 135, Navarra with 126, Aragon with 110, Extremadura (103) and Catalonia with 98 days. The national average is 94 days, according to data published this Wednesday by the Ministry of Health and consulted by Europa Press.
Faced with these data, the Ministry of Health has clarified that, regarding the average waiting time for an operation, it has been reduced from 174 to 169 days. “Between 2018 and June 2024, the average waiting time has been reduced by 45 days, going from 241 to 169 days,” the autonomous Administration has pointed out. In the case of waiting lists for the first consultation with the specialist, the Board has indicated that the average waiting time has also been reduced by eight days, from 143 to 135 days.
Likewise, “the number of Andalusians waiting for surgery after the deadline has been reduced by 20.93% compared to December 2023.” “If in December 2023 there were 53,014 patients outside the deadline, in June there were 41,920 – 11,094 fewer -“, the Ministry has broken down, which has also highlighted the reduction in the number of patients waiting within the guaranteed deadlines: 142,507 in December 2023 to the current 138,298, that is, 4,209 less, which is 2.95% less.