Andalucía heads reduction in surgical waiting lists in Spain with more than 20% decrease

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 says, “in only a year-and-a-half, the region has significantly reduced its waiting list and improved all access indicators, exceeding improvement rates in the national healthcare system.”

Andalucía has cut the average waiting time for surgery by 46 days, compared to the national average of 41 days. The region also saw a 65.9% reduction in the number of patients who waited for surgery longer than six months, which is more than twice the national average.

The patients waiting for more than six months account for 8.9% in Andalucía, below the national average (12.2%). The number of patients per 1000 inhabitants fell from 7.92 down to 6.17. This is almost in line with 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 time period, the region improved its relative position on per-capita health care rates by cutting them 22%, as opposed to an average of 9% across the entire national 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%.