Every day 1,500 patients fail to turn up for appointments at Malaga's health centres

The province of Malaga registered a total of 2,610,707 requests for primary care appointments between January and April 2025. Not all ended up being carried out, however, as 7% of the patients failed to show up for their appointment, according to data provided by the regional ministry of health. In other words, 184,441 appointments were not attended by the patients who had requested them, which represents a daily average of 1,537 appointments during the first four months of the year.

For this reason and to avoid such statistics as much as possible, the Andalusian health service (SAS) has carried out information campaigns in health centres and social networks in order to raise awareness among citizens that "a missed appointment is an opportunity for another person to solve a health problem".

Mari Ángeles Bernal, head of the primary care department at the Malaga medical union (SMM), says that "this data confirms the same general line as in previous years". "The problem is that those missed appointments represent slots where we could be absorbing demand. Many cases end up being treated as non-deferrable," she adds.

Bernal says that an optimal situation would be achieved if the patient cancelled their appointment - something they can easily do through the ClicSalud+ or the Salud Responde apps. In addition, she proposes that those same apps set up a reminder system, like the one in private clinics.

"A reminder could be useful, as there are also many elderly people," she says. With that, she also addresses the difficulties some people might experience in cancelling their appointments.

"We also need to look at the profile of those who cancel," says Dr Bernal. "It is necessary to focus on absenteeism, because it is an increase in false delays. 7% represents thousands of consultations. If this can be avoided, it would mean not overflowing out-of-hospital emergencies. Moreover, this also affects paediatrics."

There are other factors that contribute to the problems surrounding primary care. About a month ago, it was estimated that there was a shortage of about 180-200 professionals in primary care and paediatrics. As Rocío Hernández, regional minister of health, says, this lack of doctors is an issue that the regional ministry was already expecting 10 or 15 years ago. It affects not only Spain, but also other European countries.

To fix this serious issue, Hernández says that the regional ministry is working on two fronts: securing access in remote areas and "actively recruiting professionals".

"In primary care, all managing directors have access to Infoweb, a tool that allows them to monitor delays across various categories, and it has also incorporated features such as identifying patients who frequently visit doctors," she highlights.

Additionally, the consultations that nurses carry out can resolve 56.52% of the cases. These walk-in appointments are possible even without prior booking. In addition, primary care doctors also carry out afternoon consultations on a voluntary basis.

Finally, it is worth highlighting the 72-hour plan implemented by the SAS, which has resolved 46,407 appointments in the province in the first quarter of the year. This means that people who are unable to make an appointment with their GP via Salud Responde, are contacted in less than three days. Their queries could either be resolved within the same call, referred to another phone appointment or be granted an in-person appointment.

Consultations that cannot be booked fall into the so-called 'back office' of Salud Responde. The regional ministry of health indicates that there are many queries that are related to issues such as the renewal of the health card or medicines that can be prescribed over the phone. The queries within the 72-hour plan are resolved in 99% of the cases.

The SAS has carried out a total of 206,421 primary care appointments in Andalucía in the first quarter of this year. Almost 22.25% of them were in Malaga.