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Nearly 700 complaints filed with Malaga's patient ombudsman for alleged malpractice
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Nearly 700 complaints filed with Malaga's patient ombudsman for alleged malpractice

The province sits in second-place in the Andalucía region for the highest number of complaints

Irene Quirante

Irene Quirante

Malaga

Tuesday, 21 January 2025, 11:03

A total of 689 complaints were filed with the patient ombudsman for alleged cases of malpractice in Malaga province last year, new data shows. The figure is almost 50 more than the previous year (640), according to data from the ombudsman's latest report, which was published on Monday 20 January.

Malaga is the second-placed province in Andalucía with the highest number of complaints, behind only Seville. The main reasons for the complaints were waiting lists, according to the report, a problem in which the Andalusian region is at the top of the national ranking. According to the ombudsman's lawyer, Damián Vázquez, the delays "have skyrocketed" and there is no solution in sight.

By the time many patients receive their diagnosis or are about to undergo surgery, it is already too late, they pointed out. The average waiting time for surgery in Andalucía is 169 days, according to the patient ombudsman.

Overcrowding in emergency departments is also another issue pointed out in complaints, both at provincial and regional level. The ombudsman pointed out the need for more healthcare professionals to provide adequate care to patients, since a large part of alleged diagnostic errors or malpractice is linked to overloaded workers.

Many complaints of alleged malpractice were related to traumatology, gynaecology and obstetrics. While 689 complaints were filed to the patient ombudsman in Malaga, 2,509 cases were related to wider Andalucía.

The hospital that copped the most complaints in the region was the Hospital Virgen Universitario in Seville, followed by the Hospital Regional Universitario in Malaga, according to the report. The fourth with the most complaints for alleged malpractice is the Clínico, also in Malaga city.

There were 131 cases of people who died as a result of alleged medical negligence in Andalucía last year, some of these cases occurring in Malaga, according to the ombudsman.

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surinenglish Nearly 700 complaints filed with Malaga's patient ombudsman for alleged malpractice