Spain's Health Ministry has launched an investigation into Torrejón de Ardoz Hospital after audios revealed its CEO ordering longer waiting lists to boost profits. Minister Mónica García has urged Madrid's regional government to conduct a thorough review of all privately managed public hospitals. Workers had reported similar pressures months earlier to prioritize more profitable patients.
The scandal broke with EL PAÍS publishing audios in which Pablo Gallart, CEO of Ribera Salud—the firm managing the public Torrejón de Ardoz Hospital for 14 years—urges executives on September 25 to reverse prior efforts to shorten waiting lists. "In Torrejón, in 2022 and 2023, we decided as an organization to make an effort to lower the waiting list. The only thing I ask is: let's undo the path," says Gallart, aiming to improve EBITDA to 4 or 5 million euros by avoiding non-profitable processes.
The Health Ministry's High Inspection is checking for violations of public health rights. García warns: "The Government of Spain and this Ministry cannot remain indifferent to facts that, if verified, would gravely compromise the guarantee of equity, quality, and universality." She urges Isabel Díaz Ayuso to terminate the concession if irregularities are found and extend the probe to other private-managed hospitals, referencing prior controversies at Quirón Salud.
Workers had warned in May via a manifesto signed by dozens, and in June with an internal document from over 250 professionals, of pressures to prioritize patients from other health areas—which allow extra billing—over locals. In 2023, the hospital handled nearly 25,000 incoming appointments, a 55% rise from 2022, and increased surgical interventions by 44-58%. They denounce prioritization against equity and ethical codes, with incentives for overtime on such cases.
The regional Health Department, led by Fátima Matute, sent a multidisciplinary team that confirmed normal operations and pledges controls. Ayuso remains silent, while PP leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo demands a rigorous audit and possible criminal liability. 39 service chiefs defend their work: "We have never adopted measures that violate patients' rights".
Gallart has stepped away from the hospital, which announces an internal audit.
