Monday, 10 November 2025, 17:30
Andalucía leads the reduction in surgical waiting lists with a 20.7% drop in the number of patients pending surgery, compared to the 5.6% drop recorded in Spain as a whole, according to the latest data from the Ministry of Health (as of 30 June 2025).
The regional Junta government says that, “in just a year and a half, the region has reduced its waiting lists and improved all accessibility indicators, far exceeding the improvement rates within the national healthcare system”.
Andalucía has cut the average waiting time for surgery by 46 days, compared to the national average of 41 days. In addition, the region has seen a reduction in the percentage of patients waiting for more than six months by 65.9%, more than double the progress recorded by the rest of the country.
The patients waiting for more than six months account for 8.9% in Andalucía, below the national average (12.2%). The rate of patients per 1,000 inhabitants has fallen from 7.92 to 6.17, practically in line with the national average (6.06).
According to the regional ministry of health, these results confirm that Andalucía exceeds the national average in all key indicators of surgical accessibility, despite managing the largest public health system in Spain. The central ministry confirms Andalucía’s positive results, attributable to the sustained increase in surgical activity and the reorganisation of healthcare resources.
In the same period, the region also improved its relative position in per-capita rates, cutting them by 22%, compared with an average 9% reduction across the national health system.
The total number of patients pending outpatient consultations in Andalucía has decreased by 20,977 people, while increasing by 83,821 patients in Spain as a whole. In relative terms, Spain has increased its lists by 2.19%, while Andalucía has reduced them by 2.4%.
In terms of average consultation waiting times, Andalucía has reduced waiting times by 16 days, compared to an improvement of only 5 days in the country as a whole. Furthermore, 52.5% of patients in Andalucía have to wait more than 60 days for a consultation, clearly below the national average of 61.8%.