WILLEMSTAD – More than 1,000 patients are currently waiting longer than seven weeks for planned surgery at Curaçao Medical Center (CMC). The waiting list has grown from 715 patients in March to 1,078 patients this week. The increase is mainly caused by a shortage of operating room staff and pressure on hospital beds.
The longest waiting lists are in General Surgery, Ophthalmology, Orthopedics, Urology and Plastic Surgery. The waiting list also includes 79 patients who have postponed their surgery one or more times.
CMC is currently using five of its seven operating rooms because there are not enough operating room assistants. One operating room is reserved for emergency cases, leaving four rooms available for planned surgeries. CMC has nine vacancies for operating room assistants and is actively recruiting new staff.
To reduce waiting times, CMC has started a Waiting List Recovery Plan. This includes reviewing the waiting list, giving priority to patients with the most urgent needs, improving surgery schedules, reducing cancellations and strengthening discharge planning.
Hospital bed shortages also continue to affect patient flow. Eighteen patients are still hospitalized while waiting for placement in care facilities, which limits the number of beds available for other patients.
“Waiting for surgery can be stressful for patients and their families. We remain transparent about the challenges we face and the steps we are taking to improve access to care.” says the Board of Directors.
CMC will continue to monitor waiting times and work with healthcare partners and authorities to improve patient flow and reduce delays in planned care.