Malaga Medical Union Criticizes Costa del Sol Hospital’s Waiting List Crisis
The Malaga Medical Union (SMM) has expressed its outrage over the waiting list situation at the Costa del Sol Hospital. During a press briefing on Tuesday, the union highlighted the fact that patients are waiting for more than a year for an operation. The hospital, once a model for the entire Andalusian public system, is now in a deep crisis, as evidenced by the official data published on the hospital’s website, updated to 29 December 2023.
Over 5,000 Patients on Surgical Waiting List
According to the data, a staggering 5,577 patients are on the surgical waiting list, with 1,356 of them having waited for more than a year. The average waiting time is 134 days, but this increases to over six months for the ENT and dermatology departments.
Thousands Await First Medical Consultation
In addition, 36,873 patients are waiting for an appointment for a first medical consultation. Of these, 23,033 have been waiting for more than two months, with an average delay of 124 days, or more than four months.
Delays in Diagnostic Tests
Furthermore, 32,918 users are waiting for a diagnostic test, with an average delay of more than six months. A significant number of these patients, 16,888, are waiting for a simple ultrasound scan, with an average delay of 296 days, or almost ten months.
Healthcare Crisis Affects Local Population
Out of a local population of 450,000, approximately 25 per cent have private medical insurance, leaving 337,500 people dependent on the national health system. Of these, 75,368, or 22.3 per cent, are waiting for surgery, a test, or a consultation.
Emergency Department Overload and Underfunding
The waiting list crisis is compounded by a chronic overload in the emergency department. The union delegate, José Luis Prada, attributes these problems to underfunding and neglect by the state health service, as well as a chronic shortage of health professionals and a failure to accurately forecast needs.
Multiple Hospitals Under Same Management Unit
The Costa del Sol Hospital in Marbella, the Hospital de Alta Resolución (HAR) in Benalmádena, the Hospital de Alta Resolución (HAR) in Estepona, and the Centro de Alta Resolución de Especialidades (CARE) in Mijas all belong to the same management unit.
