Surgical heads at Hospital Ramón y Cajal defend waiting-list priorities amid controversy

On Wednesday, the directors of surgical services and the Department of Anesthesiology at Hospital Ramón y Cajal signed a joint statement urging the public to remain calm and trust the hospital’s management of surgical waiting lists. They affirmed that assigning a patient to the list and setting their priority is an exclusively medical decision based on the seriousness of the condition, risk of deterioration, and care needs.

The declaration follows media reports that 57 trauma patients had their priority downgraded, lengthening the expected wait from 90 to 180 days. Hospital officials highlighted that each specialist is responsible for their own scheduling and may propose changes to a patient’s priority when clinical evolution justifies it, in line with current care criteria. They added that they are obliged to review any classification that does not meet these standards to ensure fairness for all awaiting surgery.

The statement also references earlier comments by Basilio de la Torre, head of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery, who warned of cases where preferential patients were operated on after the 90-day limit. An internal audit ordered by the regional health ministry continues, while the political party Más Madrid has announced plans to refer the matter to the prosecutor’s office.