Neurosurgery is the specialty with the highest number of interventions in private healthcare (41.7%), followed by Traumatology (36.7%), Surgery and Digestive Surgery (33.9%).
The private sector within the National Health System (SNS) has been playing a crucial role, taking on a significant portion of healthcare activity, helping to alleviate the public system’s resources, and reducing care pressure, thereby enhancing accessibility to medical care.
But to what extent? How can this be quantified?
According to the “2024 Private Healthcare Sector Observatory,” published by the IDIS Foundation, the private sector conducts approximately 5 million surgical interventions in total.
Marta Villanueva, General Director of the Institute for the Development and Integration of Healthcare (IDIS Foundation), emphasizes the importance of leveraging private healthcare resources to tackle the structural challenges facing the SNS. “The SNS faces structural issues that require reforms. For this reason, it is essential to utilize the resources of private healthcare to meet the needs of the Spanish population.”
This Observatory provides a detailed analysis of the impact that private sector activity has on improving healthcare in Spain. Let’s take a closer look.
Inpatient surgeries: the major players
Inpatient surgeries are the most common procedures in private centers.
However, the surgeries that represent the highest percentage of the private sector relative to the total are major outpatient surgeries, which make up 42% of the total, including those performed in publicly-used hospital networks (RHUP), private hospitals, and hospitals with substitute agreements.
On average, for the most complex surgical interventions, the private sector accounts for 32% of all surgeries.
For instance, Neurosurgery stands out as the specialty with the highest number of interventions in private healthcare (41.7%), followed by Traumatology (36.7%), Surgery and Digestive Surgery (33.9%), and Angiology and Vascular Surgery (33.5%).
Assistance care
On the other hand, when analyzing assistance care, it is observed that private healthcare accounts for 22.6% of hospital discharges and handles 25.2% of emergency visits.
According to the report, the most notable figure for discharges is in Traumatology, which reaches 35%, followed by Surgery and surgical specialties at 31.5%, and Rehabilitation at 25.7%.
Furthermore, Rehabilitation is the care area with the highest percentage of stays in the private sector (35.7%), followed by Psychiatry (28.9%) and long-term patient care at 23.2%.
The impact of private healthcare in numbers
It is worth noting that private healthcare revenue reaches 75.134 billion euros, equivalent to 5.58% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), according to the “Business Activity Monitor in the Healthcare Sector” report, also prepared by IDIS.
When analyzed by subsectors, the pharmaceutical industry leads with revenue of 27.442 billion euros. This is followed by private hospitals, generating 12.4 billion euros, and health insurance with 10.908 billion euros.
Additionally, the medical technology sector—which has increased its market by 7% and employment by 5%—generates over 10 billion euros, among others.
Thus, healthcare spending accounts for 10.8% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Between 54% and 58% of total healthcare spending relies on private sector services, indicating the need for public-private collaboration.
Regarding infrastructure, Spain has 777 hospitals (both public and private), of which 56% (432 centers) are private, providing 31% of the country’s hospital beds.
Additionally, the private sector employs nearly 295,000 professionals, of whom 23% are doctors, 25% are nurses, and the remainder are other healthcare and non-healthcare professionals.
In summary, private healthcare is solidifying its position as an essential component of the contemporary medical care landscape.
Its ability to absorb a significant portion of the demand, particularly in surgery and rehabilitation, makes it an indispensable player in ensuring the sustainability of the healthcare system.
Moreover, its focus on innovation, technology, and specialization continues to drive the improvement of care quality for the benefit of patients.