The operating rooms of the hospitals in Castilla y León will open in the afternoon, until December 31, in order to reduce the surgical waiting list by 21 days, which, due to the pandemic, has increased in the last two years. This was agreed this Tuesday at the meeting of the Castilla y León Health Sector Board, in which the Regional Health Management and the unions with representation in the sector participate.

This self-concertation measure is one of those contemplated in the Shock Plan launched this year by the Ministry of Health to reduce the average waiting time and the number of patients pending surgery.

The agreement states that this work will be voluntary among professionals, so that the operating rooms will open from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. after the regular morning activity, which will not be affected by this measure as the centers maintain the planned surgical schedule. for each week.

To carry out this measure, which requires an extra effort in the working day of Sacyl professionals and which has been agreed upon at the sector table, the Ministry of Health will allocate 5 million euros. Thus, doctors will receive 450 euros for each afternoon; nurses, 300; the TCAES (technician in auxiliary nursing care), 110 euros and the guards, 90 euros.

The operating rooms will open in the afternoon to serve patients with longer waiting times and to perform heart, cataract, and knee and hip replacement surgeries. In addition, the Ministry of Health plans that those centers that are fulfilling their objectives - there will be continuous evaluation measures for hospitals by the Regional Health Management - can help others who request it, making it clear that the patient will be the whether or not to accept the referral, which will always be voluntary.