The waiting list in public hospitals reached 153,000 people on February 2015, according to the latest data released by Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social (CCSS).
Some medical appointments take up to six years to arrive. Every month, 15.000 people sign up on waiting lists.
The problem is caused by management flaws in hospitals, clinics and primary healthcare centers (known as Ebais in Costa Rica).
For example, most of the 29 public hospitals don’t have electronic medical records and this prevents controlling attention rates at operating rooms.
The medical specialties with the longest waiting lists are orthopedic, ophthalmology, and otolaryngology.
Last year, the institution came under heavy criticism after it emerged hundred of patients had died awaiting catheterization. They had been waiting since 2009.
The health authorities still can’t get to an agreement on how much personnel they need to take care of a growing healthcare demand.
Source: La Nación.