The public hospitals in the Balearic Islands provided 114,736 specialist consultations between June and August 2026, 11,948 more than during the same period last year. Hospital activity also increased in operating theatres, with 14,495 surgical procedures, 581 more than in summer 2025.
Outpatient consultations increased by 11.6%, while the number of operations rose by 4.1%, according to data released by the Servei de Salut de les Illes Balears (IB-Salut, Balearic Islands Health Service).
Healthcare activity also took place during a summer marked by an increase in both the resident and temporary population and by doctors’ strikes, which led to the cancellation of consultations, tests and surgical procedures.
Almost 12,000 more hospital consultations than in summer 2025
Specialist consultations rose from 102,788 between June and August 2025 to 114,736 during the same period in 2026. This means that public hospitals provided 11,948 more consultations in just three months.
Surgical activity also increased. The number of operations performed in public hospitals in the Balearic Islands rose from 13,914 to 14,495, an increase of 581 procedures compared with the previous summer.
According to the Regional Ministry of Health, these results come amid sustained growth in both the resident and temporary population of the islands, increasing demand for public healthcare during the summer months. The ministry also points to the progressive ageing of patients and their growing healthcare needs.
More than 4,000 additional emergency cases in August
Pressure on healthcare services was also reflected in hospital emergency departments. In August alone, 4,144 more emergency cases were treated than in August 2025.
In response to this increase in demand for healthcare, public hospitals increased the resources available, according to information provided by the Regional Ministry of Health.
The activity figures come at a time when healthcare waiting lists remain one of the main indicators used to assess the situation in hospitals. IB-Salut publishes daily data on patients waiting for a first specialist consultation and for surgery, as well as average waiting times.
Doctors’ strike led to almost 87,000 cancellations
Public healthcare activity was also affected by the doctors’ strike, which totalled 31 days across Spain.
During these strike days, 86,957 healthcare appointments and procedures were cancelled: 53,677 hospital consultations and tests, 2,146 surgical procedures and 31,134 primary care consultations.
The Regional Ministry of Health attributes the increase in activity recorded during the summer to the commitment of healthcare professionals during a period it considers particularly challenging due to greater demand for care and the disruption caused by the strikes.
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