Average waiting times for surgery in Spain have risen from 76 to 100 days and there are now 571,395 people waiting for operations, the worst figures since the Ministry of Health started recording such data in 2004.
The figures were published on the official ministry website, but without any announcement or official comment as would normally be customary. A ministry spokesman is reported as sayingg that it had merely compiled figures provided by the regions and that health management, and therefore admissions, are their responsibility.
Budgetary restrictions and lay-offs in healthcare are being blamed for the record number of people awaiting surgery in Spain.
In addition to a longer average waiting time, the number of patients waiting more than six months to be admitted to hospital has risen by seven percent, despite six months being the maximum permitted by law for certain types of procedure.