Torrevieja University Hospital has reduced waiting times for its most urgent surgical patients by 92.4%, making it the fastest hospital in the Valencian Community for priority-one operations.
Patients in this category, whose surgery should not be delayed beyond 30 days, waited an average of just six days in June 2026, compared with 79 days in June 2023.
The hospital’s overall average surgical waiting time also fell from 68 to 45 days over the same period—a reduction of 33.8% that places Torrevieja below the regional average.
Improvements were recorded across all clinical categories. Waiting times for priority-two patients fell by 30%, from 30 to 21 days, while priority-three waits dropped by 33.3%, from 69 to 46 days. The hospital is therefore operating comfortably within national targets for all three groups.
Management has attributed the results to improved surgical planning and a stronger focus on prioritising patients according to medical urgency.
However, official figures do not reflect every stage of a patient’s journey. Waiting times are generally counted only after a specialist formally approves surgery, excluding delays between a GP referral, the first specialist appointment and the final decision to operate. Requests may also go unrecorded when appointment systems are temporarily closed.
These recording practices apply throughout the Valencian public health system, meaning actual patient waiting periods can be considerably longer than the headline figures suggest.
