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Date Published: 18/01/2022
ARCHIVED - Medical negligence claims increase by 25 per cent in the Region of Murcia
545 patients lodged complaints with the Murcia health system in 2021
The number of patients who registered medical negligence complaints against the Murcian Health System (Servicio Murciano de Salud or SMS) increased by 25% in 2021 compared to data from the previous year.
In total, 545 complaints were registered in 2021, 137 more than in 2020. According to official data, this figure is the highest in the Region since 2014 (586 complaints) and is 30 more than the average for the decade. It is also worth noting that the patients in 32 of the 545 cases of medical negligence died.
The medical services with the most claims against them are General Surgery, Emergency services, waiting lists and Traumatology, and Gynaecology and Obstetrics. Although the waiting times for surgery in the Region of Murcia have racked up a lot of complaints throughout the year, the average waiting period of 82 days is far below the national average.
On the other hand, the hospital with the most medical negligence complaints is the Virgen de la Arrixaca hospital in the capital city, which is also the medical centre with the most patients. Next on the list are the Cartagena Hospital Complex, the Morales Meseguer hospital in Murcia, the Rafael Méndez hospital in Lorca and the Los Arcos del Mar Menor hospital in San Javier.
A recent case of medical negligence in the Region of Murcia made national headlines at the beginning of this month, when a 39-year-old mother of two died after a botched liposuction procedure, although this particular surgery was carried out in a private medical setting.
On a national level, negligence claims have also increased compared to 2020, with 13,156 cases in 2021 across Spain; 2,647 more than the previous year. Of the 13,156 cases, 628 resulted in the patient’s death, which is 100 more than in 2020.
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