Cirugías, consultas externas y pruebas diagnósticas

The latest data from the Health Service of the Community of Madrid (Sermas), corresponding to the month of June, reflect a positive evolution in the waiting lists for healthcare in Madrid, both in terms of the volume of patients and the average waiting times. These data were recorded in three care categories: surgical interventions, outpatient consultations, and diagnostic tests.

The improvement in the indicators is due to a combination of factors, such as the increase in surgical activity, management of priorities based on waiting times, and effective control of the balance between admissions and discharges. In the surgical field, the number of patients on the waiting list was reduced by more than 5,400 people in the Community of Madrid (CAM), decreasing from 76,848 in May to 71,416 in June. Additionally, the average waiting time also improved, standing at 48.72 days compared to 49.49 days in the previous month.

Outpatient consultations – which represent the bulk of demand in the system – also experienced a significant decrease in Madrid. Nearly 32,000 people came off this list in a single month, leaving the total number at 701,476 patients. The average wait time remained virtually stable, with a slight decrease from 63.27 to 63.04 days. On the other hand, diagnostic tests – although they saw a slight increase in waiting times in June, going from 59.85 to 60.91 days – also showed a significant improvement in the volume of patients on the waiting list, with over 15,000 fewer people compared to the previous month.

Overall, the number of people on the structural waiting list in the CAM – that is, those who have already been clinically evaluated, meet the requirements, and are ready to receive care – decreased in June to 947,301 patients. In May, this figure was 1,000,152, so the reduction of 52,851 individuals represents not only a significant improvement in absolute terms, but also a symbolic breakthrough for the Madrid healthcare system of breaking the million-patient barrier. These results are particularly relevant in a context of increasing care pressure, marked by population aging, chronic diseases, and sustained demand.

The data place Madrid among the regions with the shortest waiting times nationally, despite bearing the highest care pressure in the country with 121.37 people on the waiting list per thousand inhabitants. According to the latest report from the Waiting List Information System (SISLE), as of the end of 2024, the average time to access a surgical intervention in Spain is 126 days. In Madrid, this period is reduced to 48 days, which is 76 days less than the national average.

The organization of the Madrid hospital network has enabled it to handle high care demand without compromising waiting times, which remain among the most competitive in the country. In fact, in some CAM hospitals, it is possible to access a surgical intervention in less than a month. This is the case at the Hospital Universitario General de Villalba, with an average waiting time of 13.60 days; the Hospital Universitario Rey Juan Carlos, 16.19 days; the Fundación Jiménez Díaz, 19.51 days; Hospital Universitario Santa Cristina, 26.51 days; and Hospital Universitario Infanta Elena, 30 days.

Also in the realm of outpatient consultations, the CAM stands out nationwide. The average waiting time in Madrid to get an appointment with a specialist is 63 days, which is 42 days less than the national average of 105 days. Some Madrid centers have even lower figures, such as Hospital Universitario General de Villalba (24.79 days), Fundación Jiménez Díaz (28.73 days), Hospital Universitario Infanta Elena (29.17 days), and Hospital Universitario Rey Juan Carlos (30.49 days).

The community indicates that these data reflect a healthcare planning in the CAM oriented towards efficiency, where public-private collaboration in hospital management plays a prominent role. They say it is a model, based on coordination between public resources and private management, that has demonstrated its effectiveness in terms of accessibility and reducing waiting times. Hospitals operating under this system – such as Fundación Jiménez Díaz, Hospital Universitario Rey Juan Carlos, Hospital General de Villalba, or Hospital Universitario Infanta Elena – are the ones that show the best results in both surgical interventions and outpatient consultations.