Overview
- El Defensor del Paciente logged 14,986 alleged malpractice cases last year, including 951 deaths, the highest totals in a decade.
- Diagnostic error and loss of therapeutic opportunity are cited as the leading causes, with additional complaints tied to poor emergency care, hospital infections and delayed discharges.
- The report highlights surgical waiting lists as the main driver of complaints, citing 832,728 patients awaiting operations with an average wait of 118 days, figures the association disputes.
- Regional data show wide variation: Madrid led with 4,005 cases, Murcia registered 430, Castilla y León recorded 858 with Valladolid accounting for 306, and Galicia tallied 734 with 42 deaths and persistent strain at Santiago’s CHUS.
- Emergency departments drew concentrated grievances at ten major hospitals nationwide, and the association links increased referrals to private hospital groups to policy choices it says are worsening access and outcomes.