Delayed operation waiting lists in Malaga province: Junta claims a 30.3% reduction

In February 2024, the Junta de Andalucía regional government launched its own health guarantees plan to significantly reduce the surgical waiting list for guaranteed procedures (90, 120 and 180 days). This is for operations such as cataracts, hernias, hip or knee replacements, removal of tonsils or adenoids, varicose veins, benign prostatic hyperplasia, pilonidal cysts, arthroscopies, bunion correction and breast reconstruction, to name a few. Endowed with 283 million euros, the campaign was a regulatory missile targeted at the waiting lists that were inflated by the thousands of surgeries left on the back burner during the Covid-19 pandemic. The latest data from the Junta shows a significant reduction in these waiting lists for overdue surgery, specifically by 57% across the entire region. The data for Malaga province regarding this waiting list is also positive, falling by 30.31% in the same timeframe (December 2023-June 2025).

Back in December 2023, there were 3,388 people in Malaga waiting for an operation after the guaranteed deadline, compared to 2,361 in June 2025 (-30.31%). The average delay in days decreased from 98 in December 2023 to 81 in June 2025 in Malaga, a reduction of 17 days.

The total number of patients waiting for an operation included in the health guarantees plan for Malaga, however, has grown by 3.6%, from 19,301 patients to 19,995 in June 2025.

Incidentally, according to data published by SUR in March, which referred to December 2024 numbers, back then there were a total of 35,189 people waiting to undergo surgery, some 1,600 more than in June 2024. This figure has not been published in the latest data release and refers to the total number of operations, not just those included in the health guarantees plan presented by regional government in February of last year. So, outside the period established by decree (60, 90 or 180 days, depending on the type of operation), are 2,567 patients, some 500 more.

The regional minister for health and consumer affairs, Rocío Hernández, explained that "we are experiencing a progressive improvement in access to healthcare". She commented that the total number of patients on the region's surgical waiting list at the end of June this year was 122,188, of which 22,940 had exceeded the guaranteed waiting time. However, she noted that, in December 2023, the total number of patients awaiting surgery was 142,507, with 53,014 having gone beyond the deadline. "Are we satisfied with this? We are not satisfied, we are working to reduce waiting times."

The Junta also stated that the number of patients on the surgical waiting list has dropped by 14.26%, some 20,000 patients less, while surgical indications continue to be made and, therefore, new patients are being added to the list. The biggest drop is on the list of patients with guaranteed procedures that are already outside the time limits established by the decree (60, 90 and 120 days): currently there are 30,074 fewer people on the list.

The regional minister also explained that, in June 2025, only 18.78% of patients on the surgical waiting list will be outside the time limit, while 18 months ago that percentage stood at 37.20%.

"These figures reflect continuous progress in waiting-list management," said Hernández, indicating that the waiting time for an operation has fallen by 42 days. Specifically, the current average delay stands at 108 days compared to the 150 days recorded in December 2023, the last data before the health guarantees plan came into effect.

Between January and June this year, 223,074 operations were performed, 3% more (6,336 to be exact) than in the same period last year, when 216,738 people underwent surgery. This means that an average of 1,239 operations per day were performed, 86% of them in public hospitals. The rest were done under the public-private contract agreement.

Rocío Hernández also highlighted that there has been progress in waiting lists for first consultations with a specialist after referral from primary care, thus reducing this indicator by 13,959 patients (-1.61%). The reduction in the list of people who were outside the guarantee period for this service stands at 8.23%, with 40,264 fewer people going beyond the deadline.

The waiting time for this first consultation has been reduced by 23 days, going from 150 to 127 days in these six months. "People are waiting less and accessing healthcare sooner," said Hernández.