“About 5,500 heart patients are operated on per year and, in round numbers, there are more than 1,500 patients on the waiting list for heart surgery”, said the specialist from Hospital Santa Cruz, in Lisbon.

In this universe of 1,500 patients, he explained, “the percentage of those who exceed the maximum guaranteed response time is greater than 80%, that is, what was determined in the Diário da República on clinically acceptable response times is in fact not being fulfilled”.

“I think we have to reflect on how we can correct this, because patients not only die – we regularly call the patient to summon them and they answer ‘my father has passed away’ – but they suffer and get worse at surgery”, he stressed.

For the specialist, fundamental reforms in management and micromanagement are needed. In addition to health literacy, there must be management literacy, which has to be transversal, as well as “a better interconnection between the boards of directors and the service directors”.