The maximum response time was exceeded in around 92% of cardiology consultations in the second half of 2023, with more than 23,448 users waiting for their first consultation at the end of this period, it was announced on Sunday.
According to the monitoring of waiting times in the National Health Service (SNS), released this Sunday by the Health Regulatory Entity (ERS), in the second half of 2023, 19,642 first cardiology consultations were carried out in public hospitals, an increase of 0.3% compared to the same period in 2022.
During this period, “the TMRG [Tempos Máximos de Resposta Garantidos] were exceeded in 91.8% of the cardiology consultations carried out.”
At the end of the second half of last year, 23,448 users were waiting for their first cardiology consultation, an increase of 52.2% compared to the same period last year, of which 86.7% waited longer than the TMRG.
In turn, 16,207 first consultations for suspected or confirmed oncological disease were carried out, all carried out in public hospitals.
However, the ERS highlighted that “the evolution of the number of oncology consultations carried out in public hospitals in the second half of 2023 was not evaluated compared to the same period in 2022, since in the second half of 2022 the Electronic Medical Record in “The Integrated Access Management System (SER-SIGA) was not yet in the implementation phase.”
The TMRG were exceeded in 61.7% of the consultations carried out and 10,775 users were waiting, at the end of the year, for their first consultation for suspected or confirmed oncological disease.
Regarding waiting patients, maximum response times were exceeded in 81.5% of cases.
The regulator also announced that, in the second half of 2023, 589,125 first specialty consultations were carried out at the request of Primary Health Care (PHC), a decrease of 2.6% compared to the same period last year, but this number It does not include consultations for cardiology or with suspected or confirmed oncological disease.
In this case, the TMRG were exceeded in more than 56% of the consultations carried out.
The number of users waiting for their first appointment grew by 33.8% as of December 31, 2023, reaching 778,640.
Regarding consultations made to registered providers, “in the second half of 2023, 33,563 first hospital specialty consultations were made, not including cardiology consultations, nor consultations for suspected or confirmed oncological disease.”
The maximum response times were exceeded in 30% of the queries made.
The number of patients waiting for their first appointment rose to 27,055, of whom 54.5% waited longer than the TMRG.
In public sector hospitals, 253,267 scheduled surgeries were performed, excluding cardiology and oncology surgeries, which corresponds to a drop of 0.4%.
Around 14.6% of users had to wait longer than TMRG.
At the end of 2023, 185,444 users were registered on the discharge list for surgery in other specialties, which represents a 1.9% decrease in the number of patients waiting.
There were also 29,562 surgeries from the oncology program in public hospitals, 0.1% more than in the second half of 2022, and at the end of the year 7,282 people were waiting for a surgery from the program in the oncology area (+5.2% ).
In public hospitals, 5.8% more surgeries for heart disease were performed, with a total of 4,329.
More than 2,900 users were waiting for heart surgery, an increase of 1% in the waiting list.
In the registered hospitals, 8,782 scheduled surgeries were performed, 75 for oncology.
In the destination hospitals, “through the use of a transfer note or surgery voucher,” 12,253 program surgeries were performed, not including cardiology and oncology surgeries.
Source: Observadora
