Number of people waiting for non-urgent specialised medical care falls during the spring

At the end of April 2024, more than 162,000 patients were waiting for access to non-urgent specialised medical care in the wellbeing services counties. The number of people waiting for treatment was more than 10,000 fewer than in December 2023.

The number of patients waiting more than six months fell by almost 2,000 in spring 2024. In April, nearly 17% of those waiting, or more than 27,000 patients, had waited more than six months for access to treatment. 

This is indicated by THL’s statistics on admission to specialised medical care. 

"The number of patients waiting a long time for care started to fall at the end of last year and has continued to fall this spring at national level. In some areas, however, the number of people waiting for treatment has increased and there are still many people waiting for access to treatment," says Pia Tuominen, Development Manager at THL.

"The wellbeing services counties have done a lot to tackle the waiting lists and are still tackling the various challenges of organisational reform," continues Tuominen.

Large differences between wellbeing services counties in the number of people waiting more than six months for care

At the end of April 2024, the proportion of people waiting more than six months for non-urgent specialised medical care was highest in the wellbeing services counties of North Savo (27.2%) and North Ostrobothnia (25.0%) and lowest in those of South Savo (3.3%) and Central Ostrobothnia (3.3%).

The number of those waiting more than six months in proportion to the population (number of those waiting/10,000 inhabitants) also varied geographically. The highest proportion of people waiting more than six months for care was in North Savo and the lowest in South Karelia.

Number of people waiting for cataract surgery and knee or hip replacement surgery remains high  

In March 2024, more than 13,000 patients were waiting for cataract surgery and 14,000 for knee or hip replacement surgery.

The number of people waiting for knee or hip replacement surgery has fallen since December 2023 and there are now almost 14,000 waiting for the procedure. The number of people waiting more than six months has also fallen. Nearly 34% of patients had waited more than six months for knee or hip replacement surgery.

The total number of people waiting for cataract surgery has risen slightly. Ten per cent of patients had waited more than six months for it. However, the number of patients waiting more than six months fell by almost 300 compared to December 2023. 

“The number of people waiting for cataract surgery and knee or hip replacement surgery has remained high. This is due to the ageing population," says Tuominen. 

“The number of people waiting for knee or hip replacement surgery started to fall in spring 2024. In April, the number of people waiting more than six months for both knee or hip replacement and cataract surgery decreased compared to December 2023,” Tuominen continues.

Number of referrals remains stable 

More than 400,000 referrals to non-urgent specialised medical care have been made this year up to the end of April.  April's data excludes referrals from Pirkanmaa and Kymenlaakso, which together total around 55,000. 

"The number of referrals is very similar to April 2023. The number of referrals may vary from month to month, but the number of referrals per year is now the same as before the coronavirus pandemic. At the beginning of the pandemic, the number of referrals dropped because people were staying at home, but now the increase in referrals indicates that the situation has returned to normal,” says Tuominen. 

Access to primary health care

Primary health care admissions data for spring 2024 was published in week 23. 

Amendments to care guarantee speeds up access to doctor's appointments in particular – the two-week maximum period is realised increasingly
THL media release on 4 June 2024

Source

Access to services in specialised health care 30.4.2024 (In Finnish)

More information

Pia Tuominen
Development Manager
tel. +358 29 524 8405
[email protected]