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HEALTH

Record 850,000 people waiting to have an operation in Spain

Wait lists for non-urgent operations in Spain have reached record levels, with a total of 849,535 patients still waiting as of December 2023.

Published: 17 April 2024 10:30 CEST
Record 850,000 people waiting to have an operation in Spain
Record 850,000 people waiting to have an operation in Spain. Photo: Sasin Tipchai / Pixabay

According to recent data published by Spain’s Ministry of Health, there has been a 7.1 percent increase in the number of people waiting for these elective surgeries compared to in December 2022.

The average waiting time across the National Health System in Spain was 128 days.

Data also revealed that 24.3 percent of patients had been on the waiting list for more than six months.

Average waiting times have increased by eight days compared to the same time last year and the percentage of patients waiting more than six months has increased by 3.5 points compared to December 2022.

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The total number on the waiting list has also increased in the last six months, compared to June 2023, when the total stood at 819,964 patients. Then, the average waiting time was 112 days, 16 less than in December of the same year.

The numbers have changed drastically since the Covid-19 pandemic. For example, in December 2018, the number of patients on the waiting list was 668,228. This means the figure has increased by 27.1 percent in five years. The average waiting time then, however, was 129 days, one more than in December 2023.

Marciano Sánchez, president of the Association for Defence of Public Health said: “The problem is not being addressed seriously. During the pandemic, everyone remembers that the government and the autonomous communities assured us that a very clear conclusion had been drawn, that the health system had to be strengthened, and that a firm commitment to health had to be made”.

READ ALSO: Why Spain is running out of doctors

“Unfortunately, this has not been done,” he added.

Traumatology had the highest number of patients waiting for surgery 206,375, a number that has grown compared to the 190,990 a year ago.

This was followed by Ophthalmology (177,844, compared to 172,093 a year ago) and General and Digestive Surgery (156,254).

Like the previous year, the specialty that had the fewest people waiting was thoracic surgery (2,450 people). This figure is very close to that of December 2022, when 2,418 patients were waiting.

The specialty with the longest average waiting time continues to be plastic surgery with 239 days, followed by neurosurgery with 213 days and traumatology, where patients have been waiting an average of 149 days.

Extremadura was the region with the longest average waiting time for elective surgeries with 181 days, followed by Andalusia with 174 and Cantabria with 173 days.

In the Canary Islands, the figure stood at 147 days and, in Aragón, at 146. All of them exceeded the national average wait, which is 128 days.

The regions with the shortest waiting times were Madrid with 51 days, the Basque Country with 63, Galicia with 67 and Valencia with 88.

READ ALSO: Does permanent residency in Spain equal free public healthcare?

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PROPERTY

Noisy bars and clubs in Spain: What are my rights?

There's no denying that Spain is noisy, and its propensity for party means loud music and rowdiness from bars and nightclubs is a nightmare for many neighbours who can't sleep due to the noise. So how can they fight it?

Published: 21 May 2024 11:26 CEST
Noisy bars and clubs in Spain: What are my rights?

In this article, we’ll be specifically looking at what you can do about noise from bars and clubs, so you can find out what the law is and what are your rights.

If you want to know what your rights are on noise from construction, find out here and what to do about noisy neighbours here. 

Noise from bars is a typical problem in Spain because many of them are located on the ground floors of blocks of flats. Another reason is that when the warm weather arrives in summer, bars move outside and so the sound floats up to your window so much more easily. Add this to the fact that streets are often narrow and music reverberates around plazas, and it’s easy to see why it’s a common problem.

We all know Spaniards love to party and about the late-night culture, here, so while in some countries, nightlife spots close much earlier, in Spain they can often be open all night.

So, what you can do if you find yourself living near a bar or nightclub? Do you have to simply put up with it every weekend and not sleep or is there something you can do?

Firstly, it’s important to note that all nightlife venues in Spain are required to comply with regulations regarding noise levels and closing times. They must also be respectful of neighbours.

City councils and regional authorities are granted the power to regulate noise in the areas where leisure venues are located, so it’s important to find out what your local regulations are. Establishments must also use insulation to adhere to these rules.

In general, according to Law 7/2002 on protection against noise pollution, these are the maximum sound levels allowed for leisure venues:

Nightclubs: 104 decibels
Venues with musical entertainment: 90 decibels
Game rooms: 85 decibels
Bars and restaurants: 80 decibels

There are plenty of apps you can download on your phone, so you can check the noise level from your apartment or home. If they are above these numbers, then you know the establishments are breaking the law.

Steps you can take:

Talk with the owner

If loud music is an issue, the first step is to let the owner of the bar or club know. If you can’t find the owner because they’re not on-site, get their contact details from a member of staff. If they will not hand them out to you, you can always go to your local Town Hall and find out.

Put a message in writing to the owner, so they know the noise levels are disturbing you. Talk to them about how it’s affecting your sleep and the health and well-being of you and your family.

Take action with your neighbours

If the problem persists, speak with your neighbours to find out if they are angry about the noise too. Get a group of people together who all feel the same way and bring the problem up at your next meeting of owners. Try to get the president of the building association involved too.

Contact the bar or club owner again as a group explaining how many people are affected.

READ ALSO – ‘La comunidad’: What property owners in Spain need to know about homeowners’ associations

Find out if the club is entirely legal

Perhaps the bar or club hasn’t followed all the rules correctly, so it’s important to find out if the establishment as a whole is legal.

Check that the nightclub or leisure venue has all the necessary permits for this type of business such as opening and activity licences. This information can be obtained from the City Council.

The premises must have adequate soundproofing, but often because a licence is needed to carry out the works, they don’t bother.  

If any of these are not in order, then you can report them to your local town hall.

Check closing times

Another point you can check is if the venue is closing when it should be. You can contact your local ayuntamiento to find out when this should be.

Stand outside the bar or club at closing time and see if they shut their doors at the correct time. If not, call the police so that they can witness the infringement.

Closing time means that there shouldn’t be any clients or workers left in the building at that time. Even if the door is shut, but the staff are still inside, it still counts as breaking the rules.

Contact the police

If the noise problem still continues after these steps, it’s necessary to bring in the police. They can carry out their own checks to see if any laws are being breached and hear the problem it’s causing for you and your neighbours.

If the noises resume when the local police leave, call them again. It’s your right to be able to sleep and relax if the clubs are breaking the law.

If you have the support of other neighbours, you can coordinate making the calls so the police receive complaints from more than one person in the building.

The record of the police report will be very useful in filing a report if you need to take your case to court.

Contact the owner again

If the owner still isn’t complying, even after the police have been to talk to them several times, you need to put your complaint to them in writing again, stating all the steps you have taken and the laws they are breaking.

Again mention how it is detrimental to the health of you and your neighbours. Send it via Burofax so that you have legal proof that the owner has received it.

Report the venue to the City Council

Report the noise pollution to the City Council, and demand that they enforce the Municipal Ordinances and Regulations.

Contact a lawyer

If all else fails, it’s time to contact a lawyer and file an official complaint to the courts. Keep in mind, this may be a long and stressful process and it may be costly for you too.

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