CIS - Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas

• Healthcare stopped being financed by Social Security contributions in 1997.
• 38% of citizens perceive that they do not receive the same services depending on the autonomous community in which they reside.
• The overall rating of the functioning of the public health system is 6.35 points out of 10, according to the latest wave of the Health Barometer.

The Ministry of Health and the CIS have published the results of the second wave of the 2024 Health Barometer, which indicates that although public healthcare has been financed through general taxes since 1997, 49% of the population still believes that public healthcare is financed in whole or in part by contributions from the workforce, and only 46.2% are aware that it is financed through taxes paid by all individuals.

The results also address the functioning of the public health system, whether or not it has been used, and indicate that it is rated by the public at 6.35 points out of 10.

The Health Barometer is a study conducted annually by the Center for Sociological Research (CIS) since 1995.

This general perception places the 061 or 112 emergency services and care for patients admitted to public hospitals, with 7.48 and 7.22 points, respectively, as the highest-rated services.

Primary care consultations are scored 6.34 points, and specialized care consultations 5.93 points. Primary care emergency departments are scored 6.36 points, and hospital emergency departments 6.26 points.

Healthcare: equal treatment

The 2024 edition includes the public's perception of equal treatment in public healthcare based on various factors.

The majority of respondents do not perceive discrimination in healthcare based on socioeconomic, age, or nationality, but 38% believe there are differences in the services received depending on the autonomous community of residence.

On the other hand, 35% of those surveyed point to the ability to use new technologies as a factor influencing equal access to healthcare. In this regard, the Barometer reveals that 40.1% of the population has access to their electronic medical records, while 59.8% have not yet done so. Of these, 34.5% are unaware of this possibility, and 20.1% do not know how to use the internet or do not have access to it.

Assessment of public health

78.9% of those surveyed visited a primary care physician in the public health system in the previous 12 months. 20.6% were seen by their primary care physician the same day or the next day, and the rest had an average wait of 8.8 days. The care received was rated positively by 82.2% of those seen.

44.1% had consulted a public health specialist in the last 12 months, either at the recommendation of their primary care physician (40.2%) or at the request of a specialist during a previous visit (56.3%). 82.1% of users rated the care they received positively.

9.9% reported having been admitted to a public hospital in the past year: 40.5% were scheduled for surgery or diagnostic testing, and 54.2% for an urgent illness or health problem; 3.8% were admitted for childbirth. 85.4% positively rated the care received during their stay.

45.2% had visited a public health emergency service. Of these, 39.6% went to a primary care facility, while 52.9% went to a hospital, and 6.7% used a 061/112 type emergency service. Seventy-five percent of those who used the National Health System's emergency services rated them positively.

Mental health

The 2024 edition of the Health Barometer explores for the first time some aspects related to the care of mental health problems. 19.2% of respondents reported having needed to consult a healthcare professional in the last 12 months for a mental health problem or psychological or emotional distress.

50% report having received care primarily through public healthcare, 43.4% through private healthcare, and 2.4% through both.

Among the former, 22.7% reported getting their appointment in less than 30 days, 44.4% within 1 to 3 months, and another 23.8% took more than 3 months to be seen.

79.8% of people treated in public healthcare stated they were satisfied with the care they received during their visit, and 46.3% reported receiving better care than they expected.