A large majority of Spaniards believe waiting lists in the public health system have deteriorated or stalled over the past year, with nearly seven in ten calling specialist appointment delays unacceptable, according to a new barometer released Sunday.
Despite broad dissatisfaction with access, overall approval of the system held at 6.16 out of 10, and satisfaction with primary care and hospital nursing remained high. The strain is most visible in diagnostics: colonoscopy waits averaged 129 days and MRI scans 102 days, while the average wait to see a family doctor stretched to roughly 10 days.
The survey, conducted in March 2026 by the Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas across nearly 8,000 interviews, also found roughly 853,000 people were awaiting surgery Nationwide as of late 2025.