Balearic Islands hospital waiting lists rise to 112,000
PALMA, Balearic Islands, 21 August 2026 — The Socialist Party of the Balearic Islands (PSIB) has said hospital waiting lists across the Balearic Islands now include 112,000 patients, a rise of 20% on a year earlier. Socialist MP Patricia Gómez blamed the regional Ministry of Health’s management of the islands’ hospitals.
The party said surgical waiting lists were a particular concern. More than 17,000 people were awaiting an operation this summer, 2,911 more than last year, while 2,998 had been waiting for at least six months.
Concerns over published waiting-time data
Gómez highlighted Hospital Son Espases in Palma, saying its waiting-list trend had risen continuously over the past year.
She also accused the Ministry of Health of a lack of transparency. According to the PSIB, waiting times for primary care have not been published for two years, while delays for radiology tests are also not made public. The party said some patients had reported waiting a year for an MRI scan.
Gómez noted that the waiting-time guarantee decree requires the administration to offer a solution when hospital outpatient appointments exceed two months or surgical waits exceed six months.
Ambulance fleet criticised
The Socialist MP also criticised the planned ambulance-fleet renewal, which she said would cost €56 million in public funds. Gómez said the service costs €700,000 a month and had led to repeated cancellations.
She said a lack of air conditioning affected patient transfers and that 50 ambulances still had no access ramp, preventing them from carrying wheelchair users.
Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com