Overview
- The Health Ministry’s report released Wednesday shows 853,509 people awaiting surgery at December 31, 2025, with an average wait of 121 days and 21.6% over six months, up 20,781 since June and 6,926 year on year.
- Madrid records the shortest surgical delay at 50 days for the fourth straight year, while Andalusia posts the longest at 173 days with about 32% over six months, with Catalonia at 142 days.
- First visits to hospital specialists average 102 days nationwide, with wide gaps such as Madrid at 68 days and Andalusia at 136, and 61.5% of patients waiting more than 60 days for an appointment.
- Waits vary sharply by specialty, led by plastic surgery at 269 days, neurosurgery at 172 and vascular surgery at 151, while dermatology and cardiac surgery average 64 to 77 days.
- As Andalusia’s campaign heats up, unions and opposition parties challenge the PP government’s heavy use of private contracts and its results, and the Health Ministry seeks unified counting rules to make regional comparisons credible.