Worker representatives have indicated that during April, two operating rooms were taken out of service during the afternoon shift due to insufficient professionals. This issue is attributed to difficulties in filling vacancies and the strain on a staff that, they claim, constantly works "at its limit".
The situation, which already led to a reduction in surgical activity during Easter Week, becomes critical with the imminent inauguration of the new surgical block, scheduled for next June. Unions warn that, without an adequate number of operating room nurses, it will not be possible to deploy the planned activity in the new facilities.
“"If there is not enough staffing, they cannot be opened."
Each operating room requires between two and three nurses to ensure patient safety. Unions lament that the response to the staff deficit often involves merely doubling shifts or increasing workload, a measure that does not resolve the underlying problem and can even exacerbate it.
The hospital, for its part, has avoided detailing the specific management of operating rooms but has defended that overall activity has experienced growth. According to hospital sources, the number of accumulated operations up to April of this year has increased by 6.9% compared to the same period last year.
However, data provided by the hospital itself reveals a slight decrease in afternoon activity on weekdays in April. This year, an average of 14 operations per afternoon per day were performed, compared to 15.25 in 2025. The hospital attributes this variation to factors such as staff availability and the work calendar, maintaining that activity has been "very similar".
Regarding the expansion of the surgical block, the hospital maintains the forecast to start activity around the second half of June. It has been noted that the launch will be progressive and will be accompanied by the gradual transfer of activity and personnel assigned to the new spaces.
