Patient complaints soar by 37.2% in 2025, mainly due to waiting times

PalmThe complaints filed with the Office of the Ombudsman for Users of the Public Health System of the Balearic Islands experienced a notable increase during 2025. According to the annual report presented this Wednesday to Parliament by the ombudsman for users, Bernardí Bou, the body processed 251 cases, a figure representing an increase of 37.2% compared to the 183 registered the previous year.

During his appearance before the Health Commission, Bou attributed this growth, in part, to the increased visibility the office has gained and to the informational actions promoted to explain to citizens how to formalize their claims so they can be admitted for processing. Delays in healthcare continue to top the complaints ranking. In particular, delays in accessing specialist consultations accounted for 21.5% of all cases managed last year and consolidated themselves as the main concern of users of the public health system.

By healthcare centers, Son Espases University Hospital registered 75 complaints, 36 of which were linked to care delays. It was followed by Son Llàtzer University Hospital, with 37 cases (32 for delays), while Mallorca's Primary Care recorded 33, 5 related to delays in care. Bou also pointed out that the majority of cases were submitted by women, either for their own problems or on behalf of family members and minors.

The ombudsman, more accessible

Among the positive aspects recorded in the report, the reduction in claims related to bariatric surgery has been highlighted. This type of file has gone from four in 2024 to one in 2025, reducing the relative weight from 30% to 7.6% of the total. “What we are trying to do is act as mediators between the user and the Administration,” summarized Bou when explaining the function of an institution that, as he recalled, acts with independence and autonomy. Likewise, he valued that the ratio of files managed in relation to the population of the Balearic Islands has gone from 0.006 in 2024 to 0.009 in 2025, and considered that the consolidation of digital tools is facilitating citizen access to the service.

For her part, the PSIB deputy Irantzu Fernández has criticized the gap between the more than 26,000 complaints registered in the health system and the 251 that reach the ombudsman, and has questioned the capacity of the current circuit to channel user claims. She also considered the absence of formal recommendations to the Ministry in the report to be insufficient and has warned of the increase in complaints for care delays and diagnostic tests.

The deputy of MÉS per Mallorca Maria Ramon has warned that the health system presents structural problems that, in her opinion, should be reflected in the work of the ombudsman. In this regard, she has called for a greater capacity for global analysis of the claims, especially in areas such as waiting lists, mental health, and territorial inequalities, and has questioned whether the office does not submit more proposals for improvement. The deputy of Més per Menorca Josep Castells has argued that the office should evolve towards a more proactive role and less focused on resolving individual cases. Finally, the PP deputy Rafael Nadal has maintained that the increase in claims in 2025 is related to the doctors' strike regarding the Organic Statute, a situation that, as he pointed out, is the responsibility of the Ministry of Health and not the Government.