The surgical waiting list increases by 8.4% in November of 2023

According to figures from the Regional Health Directorate, the number of people on the waiting list for surgery in the Azores rose again in November to 10,655, 8.4% more than in the same period last year.
“In November 2023, a total of 10,655 patients were waiting on the LIC [surgical waiting list], which corresponds to a decrease of around 0.9% (99 fewer patients) compared to the previous month. Compared to the same period last year, there was an increase of 8.4% (825 more patients), reads the Central Unit for the Management of Surgical Enrolments in the Azores monthly newsletter, available on the Regional Health Directorate’s website.
The October report, released simultaneously, shows 10,754 people registered, 119 (1.1%) more than in September and 826 (8.3%) more than in the same period last year.
Since May, the number of people registered for surgery in the archipelago has increased compared to last year.
According to the most recent data, the Hospital do Divino Espírito Santo (HDES) in Ponta Delgada had the most patients on the waiting list for surgery (6,488), followed by the Hospital de Santo Espírito da Ilha Terceira (HSEIT), with 2,883 patients, and the Hospital da Horta (HH), with 1,284 patients.
All three hospitals saw a drop compared to October, but increased the number of patients waiting compared to the same period last year: HDES by 4.3%, HH by 11.3%, and HSEIT by 17.5%.
The number of surgical proposals on hold in the Azores (some users are registered for several surgeries) was 11,803 at the end of November, 110 less than in October but 798 more than in November 2022.
According to the report, the average waiting time for surgery in the Azores at the end of November was 396 days (about a year and a month), which reflects an increase of 13 days compared to the previous month and 17 days compared to the same period last year.

The average wait time for some surgeries is now longer than a year

Ponta Delgada Hospital, the only one to record a reduction compared to November 2022 (10 days less), had the longest average waiting time (403 days), followed by Terceira (372 days) and Horta (314 days), which saw year-on-year increases of 25 and 53 days, respectively.
All three health units had an average waiting time above the regulated maximum guaranteed response times (TMRG), which stipulates that normal priority surgery should be carried out in a maximum of 270 days.
Only 59.6% of surgeries carried out in November in the Azores occurred within the TMRG, 8.6 percentage points more than in the same month in 2022.


Surgical production in the Azores Regional Health Service in November was down in October but up on the previous year.
“During the month of November 2023, 897 surgeries were performed, which represents a decrease of around 2.8% (26 fewer surgeries) compared to the previous month. Compared to the same month in 2022, there was an increase of 3.6%, i.e. 31 more surgeries performed,” reads the report.
HDES, where more than half of the surgeries were carried out (479), was the only hospital to record a monthly decrease (-14.2%), while HSEIT (272) was the only one to reduce its surgical output compared to the same period last year (-2.5%).
In November, the region’s three hospitals received 963 new surgical proposals, 250 fewer than in the previous month and 173 fewer than in the same period of the previous year.
The number of cancellations (244) was up in October (20.8%) and down in November 2022 (-40.3%).

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