Over 168,000 people in Catalonia are waiting for an operation

Some 168,000 people are on a waiting list for an operation in Catalonia, according to figures up to the end of June published on Friday by Spain's health ministry.

Catalonia is the autonomous community in Spain with the most patients waiting for surgery, and has the highest rate, at 23.32 per 1,000 inhabitants.

As for waiting times, the average wait for an operation in Catalonia is 146 days, behind only Andalusia and Castilla-La Mancha, with 164 and 149 days respectively.

In fact, just over 26% of people waiting for an operation in Catalonia have so far had to wait for more than six months.

The area of operation that most patients are waiting for is in traumatology (wounds or injuries from accidents or violence), with 44,852 people on the list.

After that comes general surgery, with 32,863 patients waiting, and then ophthalmology (dealing with eye disorders), with 31,030 patients waiting.

In Spain as a whole, there are some 671,494 people waiting for surgery, at a rate of 14.85 per 1,000 inhabitants, and an average waiting time of 115 days.