_
_
_
_
_

Hospital waiting lists rocket by 23 percent in Catalonia

Premier Mas' government has cut healthcare spending by 10 percent in last year

Waiting lists for operations in Catalonia have increased to levels last seen in 2004, according to the latest statistics. Since the Catalan nationalist CiU bloc assumed power at the end of 2010, the number of people waiting for operations in the region has increased by 23 percent, to 69,967. On December 31, that figure was 56,670.

The regional health chief, Boi Ruiz, announced the figures at the unveiling of a new IT system to deal with waiting lists, in part designed to offset the impact of cuts in the sector being made by the government of Artur Mas, which has proposed slashing healthcare costs by up to one billion euros, or 10 percent of the total budget.

Until Mas' administration won power, Catalonia, which guarantees patients a maximum wait of six months, used the same system as the rest of Spain, which has been criticized by the Health Ministry for obscuring the real length of waiting times.

More information
Wave of massive budget cuts batters cash-strapped regions
Public healthcare cuts put Catalan government in a sick position
Catalan doctors call two-day strike over cuts
Budget cuts keep heart attack victim from getting treatment
Recomendaciones EL PAÍS
Recomendaciones EL PAÍS
_
_