Costa Rica News – A man from Alajuela, Costa Rica waited 10 years for a needed surgery. He was first told he needed surgery and was put on the waiting list in 2005 and the inguinal hernia surgery was performed in 2015.
Throughout these ten years, the man called many times and each time was told to keep waiting.
He sued the Costa Rican Social Security Fund ¢2 million for damages caused by the waiting time.
The suit also forced the CCSS to perform the surgery. Who knows how long he would have waited otherwise.
His story is not unique. I was told I’d need to wait 7 years for a knee surgery because there were only 3 sets of arthroscopy equipment in the whole country, except for in private hospitals.
An appeal was filed in 2016 because the CCSS believes the payment is too much. It agrees to pay compensation but in a much lower amount.
The CCSS reports surgical waiting lists that grow at a rate of 15,000 patients per month.
There are 300,000 people waiting. The organization blames lack of financial, human and technical resources.
