Doctors warn that cutting consultations at key Malaga hospital will have 'consequences' for health of population

Suspending afternoon appointments with a doctor at Hospital Clínico will "have consequences", medical professionals have warned.

Since the doctors' union first warned of the issue on 4 July, there has been a steady stream of complaints by medics of the center. Gynecologists are, this week, the latest to raise their concerns, and they warned hospital management that cutting the number of consultations will have "consequences" both directly on the waiting lists and indirectly on the health of the population.

The College of Physicians of Malaga (Commálaga) expressed its "concern" on Wednesday 26 July about the measure taken "unilaterally" by the management of Hospital Clínico to eliminate appointments in at least twelve medical specialties.

As of 1 August there will no longer be afternoon consultations in anatomic pathology, cardiology, dermatology, digestive, endocrinology, gynecology, internal medicine, nuclear medicine, neurology, ophthalmology, radiodiagnosis and nephrology. "It is unknown whether in September it will return to normality," Commálaga said in a statement.

"This will inevitably lead to a decrease in the care provided to the public this summer by its reference hospital, which will face a very complicated autumn," the College added. They are calling for hospital management to negotiate with the affected services to reach an agreement.

Commálaga said that the affected specialists have sent a letter to the hospital management department criticising the decision to eliminate afternoon consultations. In the letter they also pointed out specific consequences of this "ill-advised measure", such as with anatomic pathology, which will lead to a delay in the anatomopathological diagnosis and therefore a delay in the start of treatment of cancer patients.

In cardiology, it would mean an increase in the waiting list for numerous cardiological diagnostic tests, which would lead to an increase in hospital admissions and even increase the risk of death. It would also affect the start of chemotherapy treatment in many oncology patients, while in radiodiagnosis, the college said that about 7,000 ultrasound scans, 6,000 CT scans and 2,700 nuclear magnetic resonance scans are not going to be performed as a result of the cuts.

Following the first complaint the hospital said that consultations will be managed according to the care needs of each moment and "to respond in time and form to the demand". The hospital also "constantly monitors" the care needs of each area and service "to adapt the response to each need that arises in relation to waiting patients and each type of pathology", it added.