A document from the general directorate of the Basque Health Service (Osakidetza) sent this week to the Basque Parliament by the counselor, Alberto Martínez, indicates that Euskadi has managed to reduce the surgical waiting list to below 55 days and that, in addition, has done “thanks to its own means.” “The referral of major surgery processes between the months of July and October 2024 compared to the previous period has suffered a significant decrease of 65.3%,” can be read in the report, sent in response to a request for consultation made by the representative of EH Bildu Rebeka Ubera.
In figures, there have been 1,923 operations referred to private centers from July to October 2023 to 667, according to these official data. “This is a good indicator that the improvement in the lists has not been due to an increase in referrals but rather an increase in own capacity,” adds Osakidetza. The report also includes a detail of “all” outsourced processes in October and November 2024, which includes operations, testing and other services. In Álava there were 1,091 ultrasounds -none last year-, 7 CT tests and 63 vascular operations. In Bizkaia there are 168 “general” surgeries, 8 Vascular surgeries, 111 Ophthalmology patients, 191 Traumatology patients and 243 Urology cases. In Gipuzkoa, finally, there are 59 cases of Ophtamology and 188 of Urology.
The concerted centers that Osakidetza uses are Quirón in Vitoria; the Donostia Polyclinic and the La Asunción Clinic in Tolosa – this case is unique because in that region there is no reference hospital and the entire service is agreed upon – in Gipuzkoa; and the Red Cross, San Juan de Dios and the IMQ in Bizkaia.
Osakidetza, as of December 3, had hired 78 interim workers for its extraordinary plan to reduce waiting lists. “The interim appointments (…) have been formalized in the months of October and November 2024. In principle, the duration of the program is planned until March 2025, with the possibility of extension depending on the situation and needs that arise. at that time,” indicates the Basque Health Service.
In detail, 14 people have been ‘signed’ at the OSI Araba – the Santiago and Txagorritxu hospitals in Vitoria -, 4 in Arrasate-Mondragón, 20 in Donostia, 12 in the Alfredo Espinosa de Urduliz, 5 in Basurto, 4 in Usansolo and 19 in Cruces. Likewise, it is highlighted that the centers are collaborating with each other so that those with the least burden take on patients from the most stressed. For example, in Vitoria there are reinforcement radiologists from Usansolo, Cruces, Basurto or Alfredo Espinosa or in Cruces Vascular professionals from Basurto collaborate.
The current Osakidetza team, on the other hand, has launched a website to inform about waiting lists. And not only the surgical one, but also the outpatient consultations or diagnostic tests. Four years ago, coinciding with the delays accumulated during the COVID-19 pandemic, the data was not offered ‘motu proprio’ and was only known through requests from the opposition in Parliament.
The report will be updated semi-annually, as promised. The latest data points to 23,805 people waiting for an operation, 125,618 pending a consultation with a specialist and 62,225 scheduled for a test. A year ago they were 23,157, 126,386 and 52,178, respectively. Regarding the average delay, despite the increase in patients, there is temporary improvement in two of the three categories. Specifically, 52.63 days for an operation (60 a year ago and 68 two years ago), 58.05 days for consultations (80 days a year ago) and 37.42 days for tests (36 twelve months ago).
Source: www.eldiario.es
