The air in Madrid’s emergency rooms crackled with a desperate energy this past night. Beds, usually reserved for patient rooms, lined the waiting areas, transforming spaces of temporary reprieve into makeshift wards. The flu season has struck hard, pushing hospital staff to their breaking point, and revealing a healthcare system stretched thin, with consequences for even the most vulnerable patients.
A Night of Crisis: Hospitals at Double Capacity
At the Hospital Clínico San Carlos, the scene was dire. “At 9:30 PM, there were 145 patients waiting to be seen, more than double its capacity,” reported Santiago, a porter who wished to remain anonymous. “In the acute unit alone, 12 people had been waiting for a bed for over four hours.” His words paint a picture of overcrowding and a high risk of contagion among patients, many of whom are elderly with various pathologies and respiratory issues. The situation was echoed at La Princesa, where a 31-year-old healthcare worker, also opting for anonymity, revealed that cancer patients were “not being attended by a doctor.”
Staff at the Limit: Long Waits and Moral Dilemmas
Ana, a veteran nurse with over two decades of service at Hospital 12 de Octubre, is now contemplating leaving emergency care. At 12:30 AM, her department had 257 patients. “The evening was horrible, and the early morning, very bad. At midnight, citizens who had arrived at 6:30 PM were still being attended to,” she recounted. “Things are worse than ever since the pandemic.” She described a record 82 people crammed into a room designed for 40, primarily patients with psychiatric conditions or the flu. “There aren’t enough beds for everyone, and while they wait in the box, they can get infected,” she explained. “Some patients have been waiting six hours to be seen when they should only wait one,” referring to the triage process.
Ana herself was assigned 51 patients in the consultation area with only one doctor and one nursing assistant. “An 82-year-old woman had been waiting since 3:30 PM, sitting in a chair,” she added. Boxes designed for four beds now held six. “We invent spaces, but isolation cannot be guaranteed; it’s impossible.”
The Illusion of Control: Patients in Observation, Wards Closed
At Hospital de La Princesa, 120 patients were in the emergency room at 10:00 PM, a number that dropped to 78 by early morning. However, seven people, including several cancer patients with serious health issues, were still awaiting a bed after 24 hours. “They are in observation because management wants to avoid the image of collapse in the hallway, but this area is for short processes of non-serious illnesses. Therefore, there is no doctor, only a nurse and an assistant,” the 31-year-old healthcare worker explained. He also noted that wards in the hospital had been closed since June 30th, despite the current crisis. “We are exhausted; we work tirelessly. Primary care is abandoned, and we collapse,” added his 54-year-old colleague.
The “Winter Plan” Under Fire: Late, Insufficient, and Criticized
The Ministry of Health’s “Winter Plan,” implemented on December 1st to reinforce staff and medical supplies, has drawn heavy criticism. “It arrived late, very late, and has failed spectacularly,” denounced SATSE, the nursing union. They claim that only 48% of the planned 615 nurses were actually hired. Santiago from Hospital Clínico San Carlos, a member of the Anti-Corruption Platform, criticized the lack of foresight, leading to improvisation. “A vascular surgery ward, usually closed year-round except during critical periods, was opened 10 days ago. We have no more capacity; many patients from different specialties are mixed. In traumatology, there are people with coronavirus, and in digestive, with Flu A,” he stated, arguing that patients should not be in waiting rooms.
Fátima Matute, the Minister of Health, acknowledged an incidence of 307.5 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, significantly higher than last year, attributing it to a new circulating virus. She claimed the Winter Plan aimed to hire 1,800 professionals but admitted difficulties in finding them. “The problem is that they cannot be found. We have a serious deficit, and the Ministry of Health is not alleviating it,” she stated, warning of a projected shortage of 45,000 doctors in Spain by 2032.
A System on the Brink: Overworked Staff and Unmet Needs
Despite official reassurances of “satisfactory and gradual” resolution of “specific peaks of hospital tension,” the reality on the ground is stark. Santiago revealed that at Hospital Clínico San Carlos, the nurse-to-patient ratio in emergency rooms reached 1:15. “This is a disaster, and we are only doing double shifts. What was an exception a year ago has now become the norm. This flu peak will decimate the little staff remaining. I know several colleagues who have left to become waiters; the pressure is extremely high,” he lamented.
At Hospital Gregorio Marañón, 88 adult emergency admissions and 73 patients were awaiting beds this morning. At La Paz, some rooms exceeded their capacity, with 51 patients in a 32-bed area, forcing some into the hallways. Ana, the nurse from Hospital 12 de Octubre, confirmed that even with the Winter Plan providing two additional nurses per shift, it’s insufficient. “If we don’t work extra hours, this won’t move forward,” she insisted, adding that many colleagues are owed 80 annual hours. “There are no more hands to assist patients. This is a bomb about to explode.”
Source: https://elpais.com/espana/madrid/2025-12-16/noche-critica-en-las-urgencias-de-madrid-camas-improvisadas-en-salas-de-espera-personal-al-limite-y-hasta-pacientes-con-cancer-sin-medico.html
