94-Year-Old Patient Spends Over 24 Hours on Stretcher at Malaga Hospital Amid 'Structural Collapse' Warnings

Elderly Patient's Ordeal Highlights Bed Shortage

A 94-year-old patient named Rosario endured over 24 hours on an emergency stretcher in the Accident and Emergency (A&E) department of the Hospital Clínico Universitario Virgen de la Victoria in Malaga. She was reportedly rushed to the hospital at 12:30 PM on Tuesday, February 10, 2026, suffering from critically low haemoglobin levels. Her son, José Antonio Bermúdez, informed SUR that his mother remained in the Observation area on a basic mobile stretcher due to the unavailability of hospital beds on wards or even chairs.

Unions Warn of 'Structural Collapse'

Hospital unions have seized upon the incident to reiterate their warnings of a 'structural collapse' within the healthcare system. Juan Antonio Martos, president of the Clínico's staff committee, confirmed that as of Wednesday afternoon, 18 patients in the Emergency department were awaiting a bed on a ward. Martos described the situation as 'chronic,' stating that typically 25 to 30 patients wait daily. He attributed this to the local population having doubled in recent years without a corresponding increase in bed capacity.

Unions have consistently argued that emergency stretchers are unsuitable for prolonged stays and that vulnerable patients are often forced to wait in chairs for extended periods. This saturation, they claim, creates a 'blocked circuit' that increases waiting times and compromises patient safety and clinical outcomes.

Systemic Issues and Resource Deficiencies

The incident at Hospital Clínico is not isolated, reflecting broader, long-standing issues within Malaga's public healthcare system. Reports from previous years have frequently highlighted bed shortages and significant waiting times for both surgical procedures and specialist appointments across various hospitals in the province, including the Regional Hospital and the Clínico.

A lack of human resources, particularly nurses and nursing assistants, has been identified as a contributing factor, with existing facilities like the Respiratory Unit, which has five beds, remaining closed. While a new hospital, Virgen de la Esperanza, is planned, its completion is projected to take another six to seven years. Despite an increase in Andalusia's healthcare spending per capita, the challenges of managing patient demand and bed availability persist.

Patient's Discomfort and Family's Plea

Rosario's son expressed deep concern over his mother's condition, stating, 'My mother is in a terrible state; she isn't eating, she has arthritis in her back, and she is extremely uncomfortable. It's a disaster.' He added that doctors wished to conduct further tests and move her to a ward, but no beds or chairs were available. The patient was eventually moved to a bed within the Observation unit, but only after spending a full day on a mobile stretcher.