Waiting times in Chile increased 365% during the COVID-19 pandemic. The national average is now 157.3 days, and among the patients most affected are those with lung cancer, with a total of 3,969 new cases diagnosed in 2020. This is exacerbated by a lack of unified and standardised prioritisation criteria and a fragmentation in decision-making across all levels of care. Absenteeism and lack of operational efficiency inside institutions also affects waiting times and leads to ineffective care.
