The Canarian Health Service (SCS) is to make a fresh attempt to secure the cooperation of private hospitals to help resolve the current problem of waiting lists.
SCS bosses and the regional Ministry of Health were stunned when a contract worth an estimated 260 million euros put out to tender back in April failed to attract any interest from the hospitals, who were asked to guarantee the availability of nearly one thousand beds for medium-length stays for patients.
The contract is a key pillar of the drive to cut waiting lists by diverting patients needing operations and post-operative care to the private sector.
Health minister Esther Monzón has acknowledged to the Canarian Parliament that a “lack of interest” from the private hospitals was the reason for the failure to award the four-year contract and the reasons were being studied by officials to avoid a repeat.
A spokesperson for the Association of Private Hospitals in Las Palmas says the money offered fell far short of the true figure which the hospitalisations would cost its members.
In the absence of a formal multi-year arrangement for the use of private hospitals, the latter invoice the Health Service on a case by case basis, using an exceptional procedure which is thought to cost the public purse much more than under a global tender.
Canarian government figures compiled every six months show that over 32,000 patients in the islands were awaiting a date for an operation in public hospitals at the end of 2024, with an average waiting time of four months, although over 7000 have been on the list for over six months. A further 158,500 are waiting to be seen by a specialist, according to the SCS.
