# Public healthcare "league table" of Spanish regions



## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

A report published last Friday shows that nearly all Spain's regions have suffered from cuts in expenditure on health. For the first time in ten years, the level of care has fallen.

They measure 21 factors including waiting lists, patient-doctor ratio, number of specialists, number of available beds and user satisfaction, and rank the autonomous communities into a league table. 

The best care is found in Navarra, followed by Aragón, Asturias, País Vasco and Castilla y León.

Galicia, Cantabria y Andalucía are ranked as "acceptable", followed by Extremadura, La Rioja, Cataluña, Madrid and Castilla-La Mancha ("regular"). 

Described as "deficient" are the Balearics, Murcia, the Canaries and, bottom of the table, Valencia, a position it has held for the past seven years.

La sanidad española sufre un "empeoramiento" por primera vez en los últimos diez años - RTVE.es


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## Aron (Apr 30, 2013)

Alcalaina said:


> A report published last Friday shows that nearly all Spain's regions have suffered from cuts in expenditure on health. For the first time in ten years, the level of care has fallen.
> 
> They measure 21 factors including waiting lists, patient-doctor ratio, number of specialists, number of available beds and user satisfaction, and rank the autonomous communities into a league table.
> 
> ...


Andalucia is a huge area, but I can say this, I have a great doctor. The centro de salud in our village are just fantastic. I have noticed no difference to the care I receive. I occasionally get to see my doctor on the day I enquire about an appointment. I can't praise their efficiency enough.


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

Aron said:


> Andalucia is a huge area, but I can say this, I have a great doctor. The centro de salud in our village are just fantastic. I have noticed no difference to the care I receive. I occasionally get to see my doctor on the day I enquire about an appointment. I can't praise their efficiency enough.


Same here, the facilities in our little town are amazing, especially when compared to UK towns of similar size.

Andalucia have cut wages and increased working hours rather than cut services. They also saved money by making pharmaceutical suppliers bid for contracts (which the government has declared illegal), monitoring prescriptions more closely and they were (I think) the first region to switch to generics rather than branded drugs.

Nevertheless there is evidence of the cuts here in Andalucia. I know from personal experience that diabetics can no longer get blood testing strips on prescription, for example, and mammograms and other preventive tests are harder to get now. Vacant posts are not being filled, hospital staff are acutely overworked and waiting lists have increased. There is no money to equip and open the new hospitals that were started before the cuts.


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## Pazcat (Mar 24, 2010)

Wheyy! 

Does this mean we get relegated?

I haven't been here long enough to enough to have the pleasures of dealing with health care yet.
No doubt with two little boys it won't be too long though.


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

My experience of healthcare in Andalucía has, on the whole, been excellent and still is. Wonder whether it depends on political leanings.


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

baldilocks said:


> My experience of healthcare in Andalucía has, on the whole, been excellent and still is. Wonder whether it depends on political leanings.


I never meant to imply that Spanish public health care wasn't excellent. In many respects it is superior to the NHS in the UK. Just pointing out that there are regional variations, and the cuts are starting to bite.


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## 213979 (Apr 11, 2013)

Well, in the Basque Country (rated very well) my husband's sarcoidosis was brushed off by his doc as a "freak infection caused by nothing."

The quality of your local doc is more important than this ranking, I'm afraid.


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## kalohi (May 6, 2012)

elenetxu said:


> The quality of your local doc is more important than this ranking, I'm afraid.


I totally agree with this. We are not at all happy with our primary care physician and we are not allowed to switch because all the doctors at our health center (and in all the nearby health centers) have a full quota of patients. Our doctor has repeatedly brushed us off and misdiagnosed our problems. The latest saga - since July my OH has been dealing with what our doctor has decided is gout even though my OH's bloodwork doesn't support that diagnosis and the gout medication doesn't help clear it up. 

There is serious understaffing in all the health centers in our area. We routinely have to wait 7-10 days to see our doctor or to have a blood draw, and there's a 9 month wait to get a pap smear. I have to say that while I don't like our doctor I have always been happy with everyone else who we've dealt with at the health center. But overall I cannot say we are happy with our health care.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

well if Valencia is bottom of the league it must be amazing everywhere else!

appointments either the same or the following day, blood tests the next day & results within 48 hours

consultant & other hospital appointments booked via the local centro de salud - the longest we've ever had to wait is 5 weeks & usually they are arranged for within a week or two 

even operations - my daughter's tonsillectomy was arranged for during the school holidays & so that it didn't clash with her summer camp - the pre-op tests were the day before she went, and the op the day after she returned!


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## GallineraGirl (Aug 13, 2011)

xabiachica said:


> well if Valencia is bottom of the league it must be amazing everywhere else!
> 
> appointments either the same or the following day, blood tests the next day & results within 48 hours
> 
> ...


I agree, we have always had extremely prompt treatment in the Valencia region. I received an appointment at the hospital recently for a non urgent matter in less than a month and, for a possibly more serious condition, was seen in hospital outpatients the same day that I saw my Doctor!


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## kalohi (May 6, 2012)

GallineraGirl said:


> I agree, we have always had extremely prompt treatment in the Valencia region. I received an appointment at the hospital recently for a non urgent matter in less than a month and, for a possibly more serious condition, was seen in hospital outpatients the same day that I saw my Doctor!


Wow, I should move to Valencia. In June I was given an appointment to see a specialistic at the hospital... my appointment is in December!


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

It seems to me that the results of this survey tend to be, somewhat, contrary to facts. I am tempted to ask: 

who requested the survey, 
for what reason, 
who carried it out, and 
who analysed the results?????


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## webcrest (Sep 10, 2013)

One of my friend from spain Barcelona suffered from simple stomach problem and later on this turns into cancer. Is there something wrong with environment, weather or food. it is hard to believe that a healthy person has cancer in few days


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## Pazcat (Mar 24, 2010)

It's probably more likely the cancer had been there for quite a while and just lay undetected and eventually caused the stomach issue which led to it's discovery. 
From what I can tell Spain probably has a fairly healthy environment, there a re more factors than just food or weather to consider when it comes to cancer. Sometimes it's simply unavoidable.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Pazcat said:


> It's probably more likely the cancer had been there for quite a while and just lay undetected and eventually caused the stomach issue which led to it's discovery.
> From what I can tell Spain probably has a fairly healthy environment, there a re more factors than just food or weather to consider when it comes to cancer. Sometimes it's simply unavoidable.


A close friend was having various digestive problems. She saw her GP here in Andalucia who gave her the usual medicines. The problem persisted. She returned to the GP and was referred to a consultant. After many tests she was diagnosed with cancer of the colon. She was operated on and is coming to the end of a twelve week course of chemo.
She put her illness down to too much alcohol. Nothing to do with Spain and after all cancers rarely if ever spring up overnight.

Interesting to read that healthcare in Andalucia is deemed merely 'acceptable'. If the treatment I received in the CdS Hospital is no more than acceptable, I can only wonder at what Navarra does that Andalucia doesn't since I thought the treatment I had was first class.


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

baldilocks said:


> It seems to me that the results of this survey tend to be, somewhat, contrary to facts. I am tempted to ask:
> 
> who requested the survey,
> for what reason,
> ...


I respectfully refer you to the link in my original post, where your questions will be answered. 

Data analysis is about observing trends, not individual experiences. The "facts" are that healthcare funding to the regions has been cut, waiting lists are longer this year than last, and the doctor-patient ratio has fallen.


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