The number of patients waiting for surgery in the region’s hospitals at the end of July increased by 15% compared to the same month last year. According to the monthly bulletin of the Central Unit for the Management of Surgery Registrations, in July 2025, there were 12,875 patients on the surgery waiting list (LIC), 113 more than at the end of the previous month (+0.9%). Compared to July 2024, there are 1,680 more patients on the waiting list.

The latest data now released by the Regional Health Directorate confirms the year-on-year growth trend in the LIC that has been observed for 27 consecutive months, more precisely since May 2023. The Hospital do Divino Espírito Santo, in Ponta Delgada, recorded the largest increase in the waiting list for surgery in July, with 1,564 more patients than in July last year (+22.8%). Compared to the previous month (June), the increase was 1.2%, corresponding to 98 more patients on the waiting list. At the end of July, 8,417 patients were waiting for surgery at the largest hospital in the region. In contrast, at the hospital on Terceira Island, the LIC recorded a slight decrease of 0.5% compared to July 2024, equivalent to 15 fewer patients. Compared to June, the decrease was 0.1% (three fewer patients waiting). The Santo Espírito Hospital had 3,033 patients registered for surgery at the end of July. At the Horta Hospital, the trend was upward, both in annual and monthly figures. There, between June and July of this year, the waiting list increased by 1.3%, bringing the total number of patients registered to 1,425.

The year-on-year variation at the end of July stood at 10.1%. The Regional Health Directorate report also reveals that last July, 1,118 new registrations for surgery were made at the Regional Health Service, and there were 200 cancellations. The number of users registered with LIC reflects the number of users who, having one or more active surgical proposals, are waiting for them to be carried out. This means that, if there are users registered for more than one surgery, the number of surgical proposals on the waiting list exceeds the list of registered users.

At the end of July, the number of surgical proposals was 14,268, 1,841 (14.8%) more than in the same period last year. More surgeries performed, but longer waiting times. According to the monthly bulletin of the Central Unit for the Management of Surgery Registrations of the Regional Health Directorate, in July 2025, 776 surgeries were performed, corresponding to an increase of 21.8% (+139 surgeries) in the number of surgeries performed. Compared to the same month in 2024, there was an increase of 19.9%, or 129 more surgeries performed. The increase was most significant at the Horta Hospital, where there was a 45% increase in surgeries performed, a figure that falls within the scope of the CIRURGE program, which adds additional production to regular hospital activity. However, despite the higher number of surgeries performed, the average waiting time worsened by 39 days in July compared to the same month in 2024, rising to 460 days.

At the Ponta Delgada hospital, the average waiting time reached 500 days, while at the Santo Espírito Hospital on Terceira Island it was around 412 days and at the Horta Hospital 340 days, all considerably above the Maximum Guaranteed Response Times (TMRG), which are 270 days for normal priority. In the Azores, only 53% of surgeries performed in July complied with the TMRG, a negative evolution of 6.8 percentage points compared to 2024.

In Diário dos Açores-Paulo Viveiros, director

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