Madrid surgeon accuses hospital of falsifying waiting-list priorities and faces silence

Luis Martos, a surgeon at Hospital Ramón y Cajal in Madrid, disclosed that the hospital’s waiting-list system was tampered with, moving priority patients to normal queues and doubling their expected wait from 90 to 180 days. He discovered the alteration while scheduling surgeries and confirmed the pattern with up to 17 colleagues. The changes, he says, were directed by the orthopaedic service chief Basilio de la Torre and approved by senior management.

The Community of Madrid government has responded by accusing Martos of falsifying the lists himself to avoid complex cases. Martos plans to sue Health Minister Fátima Matute for defamation and breach of confidentiality, and he notes a growing “code of silence” among staff who now avoid discussing the matter. He warns that such practices could erode public trust in the public health system and jeopardize patient outcomes.