Carlos Rus, President of the Spanish Alliance of Private Hospitals (ASPE)
The unstoppable increase in waiting lists in the public health system is generating a situation of alarming chaos that is undoubtedly seriously affecting the well-being of citizens. According to the latest data from the Ministry of Health, as of 30 June 2024, the average waiting time for surgery had reached 121 days, 8% more than in the same month in 2023. In addition, the number of patients on the waiting list is 848,340 people, which represents a year-on-year increase of 3.4%. Worryingly, the percentage of people who have been waiting for more than six months has risen to 20.5%, highlighting the seriousness of the situation. This situation, far from being reversed or showing signs of reversing the trend, is reproduced in every official health statistic and does not allow for any optimistic analysis.
In outpatient consultations, the average waiting time has also worsened, reaching 94 days, 8% more than in the first half of the previous year. ‘This delay in healthcare has a devastating impact on the physical and emotional health of patients, who see their quality of life deteriorate while they wait,’ says Carlos Rus, president of ASPE. ‘In this context, it is unacceptable to keep delaying solutions. Ideological debates must be left behind and all the actors involved, both public and private, must act in a coordinated and urgent manner to alleviate the burden on the system and ensure timely and efficient care for citizens. The health of the population cannot continue to be held hostage to inaction,’ he adds.
Against this backdrop, the Spanish Private Healthcare Alliance calls for responsible action and for private healthcare to be counted on to alleviate this situation and reminds us that the prices of procedures arranged by public healthcare with the private sector are up to 44% lower on average, so that collaboration not only relieves the pressure on the public system, but are also more economically efficient. ‘Taking advantage of the resources available in the private sector would significantly reduce waiting times and provide a faster and more efficient response to patients‘ needs, also taking into account an efficient and rational expenditure of resources,’ says Rus.
ASPE regrets that the Ministry of Health did not include the private sector in the working group aimed at tackling waiting lists in the healthcare system, considering that the private sector represents the main escape valve that could significantly contribute to relieving pressure on public healthcare. ‘Without the participation of this sector, which has proven to be an ally in improving access to medical care, there is a risk of perpetuating the current situation and failing to find effective solutions to a problem that affects thousands of patients,’ says the ASPE president.
Far from improving, the waiting list situation continues to worsen, with steady year-on-year increases, highlighting the need for urgent action. Failure to act quickly and decisively will only exacerbate the current healthcare crisis, leaving thousands of patients without the care they need and the system in an increasingly unsustainable situation. Faced with the waiting list law proposed a few months ago by Health Minister Mónica García, the healthcare provision sector is offering its resources to help alleviate this situation. ‘We are part of the solution,’ concludes Carlos Rus.
In the country as a whole, the private hospital sector has 431 hospitals (56% of the total number of hospitals), 49,837 beds (31% of the total number of beds), 5,977 ICU beds (20% of the total) and a total of 1,696 operating theatres (36% of the total).
Read the article in Spanish on the ASPE website
