The head of Health expressed concern about the effect of the central government's Framework Statute reform on public healthcare access times, leading the Galician Health Service (Sergas) to act to reinforce healthcare activity and reduce waits. Due to 25 working days of doctor strikes in the first half of the year, nearly 215,000 healthcare procedures were suspended, disrupting a positive trend of reduced waiting times and increased activity.
Before the strikes, as of November 30 of the previous year, Sergas had performed 4,263 more surgeries and surgical waiting times were 1.1 days shorter. In response to the strikes, priority was given to the most clinically necessary care, with 18,096 urgent interventions performed in the first half (over 1,500 additional), an average wait of 22.2 days for priority 1 operations, below the 30-day reference. Fast-track pathways for suspected cancer cases attended 14,570 patients with an average wait of 6.6 days.
The minister detailed that Sergas reorganized schedules and rescheduled canceled appointments, integrating them with new processes. Services with longer delays were reinforced, and surgical capacity was increased during ordinary afternoon working hours. The strategy combines personnel, organization, and resources to recover appointments and focus reinforcements where pressure is highest.
Gómez Caamaño emphasized that a Framework Statute rejected by doctors nationwide cannot be imposed, and the central government must engage in dialogue with autonomous communities managing healthcare. He stressed that his department's stance is to register data rigorously, inform clearly, and improve care with comparable indicators. He concluded by reiterating the Xunta's commitment to public healthcare, not only to reduce waiting lists exacerbated by strikes but also to advance primary care reform, the Mental Health Plan, and the comprehensive vaccination calendar.
