In a positive development for the Canary Islands’ healthcare system, the average wait time for surgery has dropped to 122 days, placing it below the national average of 126 days. This is a significant improvement for the region, which has historically struggled with some of the longest wait times in Spain.
However, despite this progress, the islands continue to face major challenges in specialist consultations. According to a recent report from the National Health System, the Canary Islands now have the longest average consultation wait time in the country, standing at 157 days compared to the national average of 105 days.
As of December 2024, 32,948 people were on surgical waiting lists across the archipelago, with 12,790 of them awaiting common procedures. In contrast, an overwhelming 158,534 individuals were waiting for specialist consultations.
While fewer surgical patients are now facing extended delays — with 22% waiting over six months, slightly below the national figure of 22.9% — the situation for consultations remains dire. A massive 90.5% of specialist appointments are delayed by more than 60 days, far above the national average of 62.3%.
Trauma and ophthalmology surgeries continue to dominate surgical demand, making up 47% of the waiting list. Cataract surgery is the most requested procedure, with 4,308 patients waiting, followed by knee prosthetics, tonsillectomies, and carpal tunnel surgeries. Despite the long wait for consultations, surgeries for dermatological issues are completed relatively quickly, with only 25 patients currently awaiting operations.
Consultations for dermatology, trauma, and ophthalmology account for 44% of the overall waiting list, with a combined total of 70,861 patients. Dermatology and ophthalmology consultations are where Canarians experience the longest delays. For dermatology alone, over 23,000 people are currently waiting, facing an average delay of 210 days, nearly seven months.
Plastic surgery consultations also suffer from severe delays, with an average wait time of 222 days, despite a relatively small waitlist of 1,657 patients. Neurosurgery, trauma, maxillofacial surgery, and otorhinolaryngology currently record the longest wait times for surgical procedures, while gynaecology, cardiac surgery, and dermatology surgeries are processed more swiftly.
For some procedures, wait times remain disproportionately long compared to the number of patients. Bunion removal surgeries, for instance, have an average wait of 165 days with just 389 patients on the list, and arthroscopies see an average delay of 138 days for 560 patients.
In contrast, the fastest consultations are for general surgery, digestive system, and gynaecology, with wait times of 53, 55, and 66 days respectively. These specialties also have the smallest waiting lists, offering a glimmer of efficiency within an otherwise strained system.
While the improvements in surgical wait times offer hope, the persistent issues with specialist consultations highlight the urgent need for systemic reforms to better serve the Canary Islands' growing population.
