Denia Hospital Surgery Waiting Lists Aren’t As High As Published, Says Concessionaire

THE average delay for operations at Denia hospital is less than officially published, and can be blamed on a computer error, Marina Salud has said.

The concessionaire for the hospital stated that the figure is actually 85 days. This figure contradicts the Ministry of Health’s published data of 105 days for the month of June. According to Marina Salud’s manager, Javier Palau, this error was reported to the Ministry of Health, which has refused to rectify it.

“There was a discrepancy in the figure, of which the Ministry of Health was alerted,” said Dr. Javier Palau, Managing Director of the Denia Health Department.

“This is due to a technical problem in loading data, and we are working  to correct it.”

“In this sense, we hope to end the summer with an average delay of less than 80 days and the year with 60, a figure much lower than the average for the Valencian Community”, Palau told La Marina Plaza on Tuesday, August 22.

In its statement, Marina Salud provided further insight into surgical activity at Denia hospital.

It highlighted that in the first half of 2023, surgical activity was 10 per cent higher than the same period in the previous year.

According to the data, 1,964 operations were scheduled, and by July 31 of this year, 2,149 were conducted.

In July alone, there was a 24 per cent increase in the number of surgeries performed compared to July 2022.

Additionally, Denia hospital initiated an intensive plan in spring to reduce the surgical waiting list, and achieve an average delay of 60 days by the year end.

To attain this goal, extra activity is being carried out in the fields of Ophthalmology, Otolaryngology, Vascular Surgery, General and Digestive Surgery, Orthopedic Surgery, and Traumatology.

The managing director of Denia health department also emphasised “the significance of the effort that professionals are putting in, which is especially acknowledged during the summer months, as they undertake exceptional activity to reduce the figures.”

Moreover, Palau affirmed that this year is the final year of the concession, which is set to expire on January 31, 2024 unless an extension is applied.

There are extraordinary efforts underway in the hospital to enhance and speed up the service.

One such measure is increasing the number of operating room sessions by 240. “We are not taking a nap,” he said.

Have you experienced a lengthy delay, or are still on a waiting list? Let us know in the comments box below.