Despite this figure, as of December 31 of last year, there were fewer than 20% of patients suspected or confirmed to have cancer—totaling 8,616 patients—on the waiting list compared to the second half of 2023, indicating a “decrease across all priorities.”
The maximum times for the initial consultation are seven days for very urgent cases, 15 days for urgent cases, and 30 days for normal cases.
According to the report “Monitoring on Waiting Times in the SNS in the 2nd Half of 2024” from the Health Regulatory Entity (ERS), 78.6% of patients were “waiting longer than the maximum period stipulated by law,” a decrease of 2.9 percentage points from December 2023, with an increase in non-compliance for “very urgent” patients.
During this period, 20,414 initial consultations with suspected or confirmed cancer cases were conducted in public hospitals, with 61.8% exceeding the Guaranteed Maximum Response Times (TMRG).
Compared to the same period in 2023, there was an increase of 0.1 percentage points in non-compliance, but for “very urgent” patients, this rate decreased.
ERS highlights that “88.9% of the total oncology consultations conducted during that period were recorded in the RSE-SIGA [Electronic Health Record in the Integrated Access Management System],” which is yet to be available in all hospitals within the National Health Service (SNS).
Throughout the second half of 2024, 36,074 cancer surgeries were performed, of which 35,841 (99.4%) were within the SNS, 104 (0.3%) in contracted private hospitals, and 129 (0.4%) in destination hospitals through surgery vouchers or transfer notes.
The data indicate that 3,040 surgery vouchers were issued, with 81.4% of patients operated on in private hospitals and 18.6% in the social sector.
Compared to the same period in 2023, there was an overall increase in activity of 21%, attributed to the increase in activities carried out by public hospitals (21.2%) and contracted hospitals (38.7%)—across all priority levels—contrasting with a reduction of 28.7% in destination hospital activities.
Regarding initial consultations in hospital specialties (excluding cardiology and oncology), the numbers settled at 653,053, an increase of 10.9%.
The TMRG were exceeded in 53.1% of consultations conducted (a decrease of 3 percentage points), while as of December 30, 2024, there were 902,814 patients awaiting their first consultation (an increase of 15.9%), of which 55.3% were waiting beyond the legal deadlines.
ERS also notes that 23,284 initial cardiology consultations were conducted within the SNS (an increase of 18.5%), with 26,039 patients awaiting consultation by the end of last year (an increase of 11.0% on the waiting list), of which 85.9% were waiting beyond the TMRG.
In the area of heart disease, 4,740 surgeries were performed within the SNS, an increase of 9.5% compared to the same period in 2023.
By the end of December, there were 190,607 patients on the Surgery Waiting List, an increase of 2.6%, of which 14.8% were waiting beyond the TMRG.
Private hospitals recorded an increase of 1.4% in initial hospital specialty consultations, with 34,019 in total.
In these hospitals, the TMRG were exceeded in 27.8% of consultations conducted, with 23,862 patients on the waiting list for their first consultation as of December 31, 2024, of which 45.8% were waiting beyond the TMRG.
On the last day of the past year, 164 patients were awaiting cardiology consultations in private settings, all of whom were waiting beyond the legal limit.
The ERS report further notes that 285,748 scheduled surgeries were performed in public hospitals, 10,715 in private hospitals, and 12,735 in destination hospitals.
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