Many European countries has a max wait time of 90 days for non-emergency elective surgery. If the wait is longer than that at a public hospital, the patient can choose to have the surgery done at a private hospital if there’s room at no additional cost. Emergencies are always treated immediately, of course. You can also choose to have a private top-up health insurance plan if you wish to always be treated at private hospitals.
But reality has the response covered:
Many European countries has a max wait time of 90 days for non-emergency elective surgery. If the wait is longer than that at a public hospital, the patient can choose to have the surgery done at a private hospital if there’s room at no additional cost. Emergencies are always treated immediately, of course. You can also choose to have a private top-up health insurance plan if you wish to always be treated at private hospitals.