The average waiting time for patients to receive health services resulting from the treatment process is 3.5 months (3.6 months a year ago), to a specialist 3.7 months (4.1 a year ago), and for diagnostic tests - 2.5 months ( the same as a year ago), according to data published in the Watch Health Care Foundation Barometer. Although the situation has not changed or the time has shortened compared to last year, it turns out that compared to 2012 data, the waiting time for health services has increased by more than a month.
WHC Barometer: Queues for doctors have not lengthened since last year, but are longer than in 2012
Published Sept. 28, 2023 17:51
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- There are minor fluctuations, but overall the trend is negative. The average waiting time for index benefits is simply increasing. The trend is unequivocally negative, so Poles are standing in line longer and longer. It is getting worse and worse. Queuing is a pathological symptom of the health care system. The second symptom is corruption - overt and veiled. The fact that Poles have to go to a doctor privately for three appointments, only to then be suddenly urgently enrolled in a hospital for a procedure is obviously corruption. In addition to this, there is still habitual corruption, various doctors are given envelopes. If a patient is fighting for his life and faces a nine-month wait for a procedure, he will do anything to get to a doctor. The third symptom of pathology is the use of acquaintances," comments Dr. Krzysztof Łanda, founder of the Watch Health Care Foundation.
The longest wait is for services in the field of neurosurgery. The average waiting time is about 9.8 months. There is also a long wait for plastic surgery services (e.g., breast reconstructive surgery) - 8.7 months, and orthopedics and traumatology of movement - 8.3 months. In contrast, the shortest wait is for neonatology (0.5 months) and radiation oncology services - less than half a month.
There is an average wait of 3.7 months for a specialist's advice. The longest wait is to see a vascular surgeon (11 months), an angiologist (10.3 months) and an endocrinologist (9.6 months). Queues for plastic surgeons, endocrinologists and otolaryngologists have lengthened the most. - By 3.0 months, one currently has to wait in line 3.7 months.
As for diagnostic tests, the longest current waits are for electrophysiology audiologic testing (6.5 months), thyroid nodule biopsy (5.6 months) and thyroid ultrasound (5.2 months).
