The Ministry of Health of the Government of the Canary Islands reports that, according to the data broken down by autonomous communities published by the Ministry of Health, the archipelago is, as of December 31, 2024, below the national average in surgical waiting time, with a continuous decrease since the cut-off of June 30, 2023.
Thus, and for the first time, the Canary Islands are four days below the Spanish average, which is 126 days waiting for surgery. The data reflect the consolidation of the Activa Plan, which has allowed a continuous decrease in the number of patients and the waiting time for surgery since its implementation in the second half of 2023.
Regarding the evaluative cut-off of December 31, 2023, the Canary Islands is the second region in the entire country that most reduces the waiting list delay for surgery, with thirty days less, behind La Rioja. According to the data made public by the Ministry, five autonomous communities increased their waiting list delay and two remained the same.
Already in June of last year, it was achieved for the first time since there are records that the waiting time for surgery was at the national average, an achievement that has been not only maintained but exceeded with the data published by the Ministry until today.
Regarding the number of patients on the waiting list for surgery, the Canary Islands is among the nine autonomous communities that manage to reduce patients on the waiting list, with a decrease of 2.4 percent in the year-on-year calculation, a period in which 145,545 surgical interventions were performed, which represents an increase of 2.6 percent compared to December 2023.
This decrease is remarkable if we take into account the national evolution in which seven regions, including Madrid, the Basque Country and Navarra, increased their respective surgical waiting lists.
Regarding the year-on-year analysis of the consultation waiting list, the national average delay increased by twenty-five days. In this parameter, the Canary Islands has managed to contain its increase, which was eight days, although it continues to work hard to reduce these waiting time data for consultations, in the same way that it achieved with the waiting time for surgery.
