According to figures from the Regional Health Directorate, the number of people on the waiting list for surgery in the Azores rose again in September to 10,635, 5.6% more than in the same period last year. “In September 2023, a total of 10,635 patients were waiting on the LIC [surgical waiting list], which corresponds to an increase of around 0.6% (63 more patients) compared to the previous month. Compared to the same period last year, there was an increase of 5.6% (562 more patients),” reads the monthly newsletter of the Central Unit for the Management of Surgical Registrations in the Azores. The figures for surgical waiting lists in the Azores have not been updated since July when the data for June was released. In July and August, the region also recorded monthly increases of 0.8 and 2%, respectively, and year-on-year increases of 3.2 and 4.6%.

Since April, the number of people registered for surgery in the archipelago has exceeded the previous month’s figure, and since May, there have also been increases compared to 2022. According to the most recent data, Hospital do Divino Espírito Santo (HDES) had the most patients on the waiting list for surgery (6,489), followed by Hospital de Santo Espírito da Ilha Terceira (HSEIT), with 2,901 patients, and Hospital da Horta (HH), with 1,245 patients.

The number of surgical proposals on hold in the Azores (some patients are registered for several surgeries) was 11,793 at the end of September, 0.2% more than in August but 4.4% less than in the same period last year. According to the report, the average waiting time for surgery in the Azores at the end of September was 386 days (more than a year), which reflects an increase of six days compared to the previous month but a reduction of 31 days compared to September 2022.

Ponta Delgada Hospital, the only one to record a year-on-year reduction (55 days less), had the longest average waiting time (409 days), followed by Terceira (365 days) and Horta (313 days). All three health units had an average waiting time above the regulated maximum guaranteed response times (TMRG), which stipulates that routine priority surgery should be carried out in a maximum of 270 days.

Despite the increase in waiting lists, surgical production in the Azores Regional Health Service increased in September. “855 surgeries were performed, representing an increase of around 28.6% (190 more surgeries) compared to the previous month. Compared to the same month in 2022, there was an increase of 6.6%, i.e., 53 more surgeries performed,” reads the report.

According to the half-yearly report, also released this month, at the end of September, the surgical specialties with the highest volume of proposals on the waiting list were orthopedics (3,166), general surgery (2,375), and ophthalmology (1,858).

in Diário Insular, José Lourenço-director

Translated to English as a community outreach program from the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Cultures Department (MCLL) as part of Bruma Publication and ADMA (Azores-Diaspora Media Alliance)  at California State University, Fresno.