Madrid Healthcare Waiting Lists: Record Reduction Despite Doctor Strikes

The Community of Madrid improves waiting times for surgeries, consultations, and tests, positioning itself well below the national average.

Generic image of a stethoscope on a map of the Comunidad de Madrid with emergency lights.
IA

Generic image of a stethoscope on a map of the Comunidad de Madrid with emergency lights.

The Community of Madrid has achieved a reduction in its healthcare waiting lists in April, covering surgical interventions, consultations, and diagnostic tests, despite ongoing doctor strikes.

The Community of Madrid has recorded a significant decrease in its three main healthcare waiting lists during April, compared to the same period last year. The data indicates that waiting times for surgical procedures are nearly three times lower than the national average.
These results are particularly noteworthy given the ongoing doctor strikes, which have impacted routine healthcare activities, leading to the loss of over 8,400 surgeries and the cancellation of more than 174,000 appointments since December.
Regarding surgical operations, the average waiting time has dropped for the fourth consecutive month to 46.65 days, a 6.3% decrease from April 2025. This figure stands in stark contrast to the national indicator, which is 121 days. Furthermore, only 688 patients are waiting more than six months for surgery, representing 0.8% of the structural list, compared to 21.6% nationwide.
In terms of outpatient consultations, the average wait has been reduced to 61.17 days, an 8.1% improvement year-on-year. Diagnostic tests have also seen enhancements, with a waiting time of 53.9 days, 12.8% less than in the same month last year.

These figures highlight the capacity of the Madrid public healthcare system to continue improving performance even under adverse conditions like the current ones, due to the central government's inaction in the face of successive physician protests.