The surgical waiting list drops 13 days in a month and 26 in a year, and is the lowest since the pandemic began

The delay time to undergo surgery in a public hospital in the Valencian Community continues to decrease. Specifically, during the month of November, the total average delay to undergo surgery in Valencian hospitals is 94 days, 13 less than in October (107) and 26 less than in November of last year (120) . This is the shortest delay since the start of the pandemic, in March 2020.

This reduction in the average wait to undergo surgery is reflected in all health departments and is especially significant in Elda (-30%), La Ribera (-21%) and Gandia (-21%).

Regarding the specialties, the average delays have been reduced in all, including those with the most surgical requests: traumatology (21 days less), ophthalmology (-8) and general surgery (-11). The decrease in waiting days is considerable, in addition, in paediatric surgery, with a reduction in the delay of 14 days, maxillofacial surgery (-13), and plastic surgery, neurosurgery and thoracic surgery (12 days less waiting in each specialty ).

On the other hand, in November, the total number of people who were no longer on the waiting list was 28,013, that is, 2,022 more than in October.

In line with this improvement, in the last month, there has been an increase of 10% in the number of interventions programmed in the hospitals of the public health system, which have gone from 11,160 in the month of October to 12,254 in November.

Finally, the activity due to self-concert has increased by 15.3%, when health and non-health personnel, voluntarily and paid, lengthen their working hours to perform surgical activities. Specifically, the interventions by self-concert have gone from 2,819 in the month of October to 3,250 in November.

“These good data – warns the regional secretary for Health Efficiency and Technology, Concha Andrés – must be evaluated with prudence, since it is necessary to be very attentive to the epidemiological situation, which can condition the care activity, although in any case, they are always Urgent and non-delayed operations guaranteed.

In addition, an immense effort has been made to care for all people with non-COVID pathologies. Now, we face an unprecedented collective challenge and we will only overcome it together, all rowing in the same direction. “