Spain’s public healthcare system has long been highly thought of by locals and foreigners. But following a series of scandals, a new study has revealed that Spaniards are dissatisfied with ‘la sanidad pública’ for the first time on record.
Over half of Spaniards are dissatisfied with the country’s public health system, new polling data shows.
For the first time since records began in 1995, only 48.5 percent of Spaniards are satisfied with the country’s healthcare system while 50.2 percent believe that fundamental if not profound changes are needed in the way it operates.
This is according to a healthcare barometer published on Wednesday by Spain’s Centre for Sociological Research (CIS), which asked respondents to choose a response which best represents their view of healthcare in Spain.
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“In general, it works quite well,” was the response of just 12.0 percent of interviewees. “It works well, although some changes are needed,” received 36.5 percent.
“It needs fundamental changes, although some things work” was chosen by 28.9 percent of respondents, and “It works poorly and needs profound changes,” by 21.3 percent, combining for the 50.2 percent majority that believe the system needs reform.
The historic marker follows longer-term downward trends in public opinion. Approval of sanidad pública in Spain has been declining steadily for some time, impacted by a combination of the Covid-19 pandemic and a more recent series of scandals within the healthcare system. However, as CIS notes: “This decline reflects a somewhat more critical perception among those who did not have direct contact with the system during this period.”
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In 2019, before the pandemic, 69.7 percent responded positively to the same polling question. In other words, positive support for the healthy system is down by 21 percentage points compared to before the pandemic.
In 1995, thirty years ago, when the CIS first began recording data, approval stood at 60.8 percent.
However, there is some nuance to these numbers. The CIS polled more than 2,400 people for the survey, and respondents gave public healthcare an overall score of 5.89 out of 10 — a weak ‘pass’ grade but part of a generally declining trend over recent years.
A year ago, the score was 6.13 points. In 2019, the last survey conducted before the pandemic, the score was 6.79 points.
Some areas of healthcare in Spain remain highly rated. In terms of primary care, 82.3 percent of those polled had visited a public family doctor at least once in the last year and 80.1 percent rated the care they received positively, a positive valuation but still four points less than a year ago.
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With regard to waiting times in primary care, only 22 percent of people who visited their family doctor in the last year were seen on the same day or the day after requesting an appointment.
For those who weren’t seen, the average waiting time was 9.78 days.
This historic 50 percent disapproval marker follows a series of crises for public healthcare in Spain. In November, the breast cancer screening scandal Andalusia made headlines after it was revealed that more than 2,000 women were not notified for follow-ups.
The case of the Torrejón Hospital in Madrid, where it was revealed that patients were being turned away for financial reasons, has reopened the debate on the management of public healthcare and alleged creeping privatisation of a public health system that is, or was, highly rated by Spaniards and foreign residents alike for many years.
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