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An analyst from the justice-advocacy group ASJ warns that Honduras's public hospitals face persistent delays in acquiring medicines and reducing surgical backlogs, citing slow budget execution and administrative bottlenecks that risk patient frustration after months of waiting.

The president of the Medical College says public hospitals are canceling operations due to shortages of sterile surgical supplies, sutures, and lab reagents—a broader crisis beyond the fentanyl shortage—while questioning the government's accounting of emergency surgeries performed in private centers.

From late March through early May 2026, Honduras paid an average of L65,000 (about $2,600) per operation to private clinics to reduce a backlog of more than 13,700 patients waiting for surgery in public hospitals, spending nearly L10 million in the first eight weeks.

President Nasry Asfura announced that medical brigades will begin Monday in Candelaria, Lempira, and expand to other rural communities, offering consultations and health services to residents who face long distances and high costs to reach hospitals in major cities.

Honduras declared a health emergency in February 2026 and launched a special program to reduce surgical waiting lists, with Hospital San Felipe reporting over 1,800 major surgeries completed in eight weeks, though medical and legislative sectors seek more detailed data on spending and nationwide impact.

Honduras's public health network carried out 1,854 elective surgeries across 29 hospitals in May, clearing 49% of the backlog of patients awaiting non-emergency procedures, the Health Ministry said.

The National Party government is proposing to use private hospital capacity to reduce a public surgery waiting list, drawing warnings from medical leaders that the measure could lead to broader health privatization.