Drop in Catalonian heart surgery wait times:
This article was originally published in Clinica
Executive Summary
The average wait for heart surgery in Catalonia has dropped to 45 days, says the regional government. This compares with an average wait of 108 days at the end of 1999. The fall is the result of a Pta550 million "shock plan", launched nine months ago, which aimed to cut the average wait to under 60 days by the end of 2000. The situation elsewhere in Spain worsened during the first half of 2000. There was public outrage when news broke of several deaths of patients on waiting lists. This led the regional and national governments to implement similar emergency measures. Catalan health minister Eduard Rius says he is considering opening a number of operating theatres in hospitals in the region.