WASTED TIME

11 Million Doctor Appointments Missed In Just A Year

MORE than 11 million primary care appointments have been missed in the past year when patients failed to turn up.

The El Pais newspaper has made the calculation on figures supplied by regional health authorities. It says the actual total is higher because five regions (Asturias, the Canary Islands, Madrid, the Basque Country and Navarra) have not supplied

By Alex Trelinski

data, either because they do not monitor missed appointments or refused to provide information.

“At the management level, these figures reveal an inefficiency of the system and is a waste of a very valuable asset for the health system: namely the time of the doctors,” said the vice-president of the

Revolutionary scanner

A NEW x-ray scanner that cuts radioactive emissions by up to 85% is being used for the first time in a Spanish public hospital. The unit costing €720,000 has been installed at Valencia's Doctor Peset University Hospital and operates vertically which means full-body x-rays are conducted while patients stand. It will be used for the treatment and planning of surgeries in adults and children with musculo-skeletal problems involving mainly the spine, hip, knee and ankle.

Spanish Society of Health Directors, Jon Guajardo. “We need to work on better education to tell citizens that each person who does not show up should be aware that they are reducing another patient’s chances to see a doctor.” said SEMG president, Pilar Rodriquez Leto. The differences in absenteeism between regions range from the lowest range from 2% through 10% in the highest which include Aragon and Murcia, though those are said to be approximate ‘internal estimates’.

Andalucia saw 3.3 million consultations (7.2% of its total) missed with the family doctor and 643,000 pediatric appointments

(9.6%) also missed.

The Valencian Community said no-shows for family medicine appointments stood at 3.8% of all bookings but gave no figures for pediatricians.

Percentages in the Balearic Islands were 4.7% for doctors and 4.6% for pediatricians.

No-shows

The Spanish Society of General and Family Physicians(SEMG) has investigated the no-shows via a survey based on a small sample of patients. They say that two-thirds of males make up non-appearances along with people aged 65 and undermostly prompted by work reasons.

ELCHE council wants their two SAMU ambulances to be based all year in the city rather than one of them going to Santa Pola between July and September.

Elche's health councillor, Inma Mora, says that Santa Pola needs the cover but it should not be at the expense of anybody else and has demanded two ambulances remain in the city next summer.

Santa Pola has consistently argued for better ambulance coverage throughout the year, but in recent times the regional health ministry has given them just a threemonth dedicated summer service when the tourist population rises.

“If population changes in Santa Pola demand an ambulance, then the ministry should provide a service but not at the expense of Elche,” Mora demanded.

Inma Mora said the two SAMU bases at the city's El Pla and Altabix health centres serve not just for Elche but for towns such as Crevillente, Aspe, and Hondon de las Nieves, with a total population of almost 400,000 people.

The newly-elected Partido Popular health councillor added that the incoming PP Valencian president, Carlos Mazon, was aware of the ambulance situation and hoped for action when he takes office.