Overnight Scans Address Rising Demand

At 3am on a Wednesday, the corridors of Hospital Clínic de Barcelona are quiet, but the Diagnostic Imaging Unit remains active. Núria, a middle-aged woman, finishes a follow-up cranial MRI and is met by a relative. She had her appointment at 2:30am, one of several overnight slots offered. "They offered me 2:30, 3:30 and 4:30. I asked for the first because at least I'd be out sooner," she said. "If I didn't come, I didn't know when they'd give me another." This scene is not unusual. According to the Institut de Diagnòstic per la Imatge (IDI), a public body under the Generalitat de Catalunya that manages diagnostic imaging services, overnight appointments for MRI and some low-complexity CT scans have been a recurring practice for over a decade. Virginia Benavente, Deputy Manager and Director of Operational Planning at IDI, confirmed that night shifts have been progressively extended across Catalonia to meet demand. "When we have more demand, we extend our hours. Sometimes we have five days with early morning tests, and we even open at night on weekends," Benavente explained.

Nine Hospitals Offering Night Services

Nighttime diagnostic services, operating between 10pm and 8am, are currently provided at nine hospitals managed by IDI. These include:

  • Bellvitge and Duran i Reynals (L'Hospitalet de Llobregat)
  • Vall d’Hebron (Barcelona)
  • Germans Trias i Pujol (Badalona)
  • Hospital Universitari Joan XXIII (Tarragona)
  • Verge de la Cinta (Tortosa)
  • Josep Trueta and Santa Caterina (Girona)
  • Hospital Arnau de Vilanova (Lleida)

The number of MRIs performed overnight at these centres has increased by 22.54% between 2019 and 2025, rising from 47,735 to 58,495 annually, according to IDI data.

"My next appointment will be the one they've given me for an earlier time, 1:30am," says Esteve, a retiree who has been attending early morning check-ups at Vall d’Hebron for years.

Reduced Waiting Times, Same Staff Levels

Despite growing patient numbers, waiting times for MRIs have decreased by 17 days since 2019, now averaging 75 days. CT scans wait times stand at 63 days, below the Catalan public health system's benchmark of 93 days for non-priority tests. However, this efficiency comes at a human cost. Radiology staff report no increase in personnel despite higher workloads. "Two years ago, I might have had 30 patients in seven hours; now I have almost 50 patients, but I'm still alone," said one radiology worker in the public healthcare system. The Servei Català de Salut warns that pressure on waiting lists is likely to continue due to an aging population, demographic growth, and rising rates of chronic diseases requiring complex diagnostics.

Patients Adapt to Disrupted Routines

While hospitals describe the overnight model as essential to meeting waiting time guarantees, patients report personal hardship. Alba, a 21-year-old student, had a 5am MRI appointment following ear surgery. "The next day I went to university very sleepy because I had no other option; if I had asked to change the appointment, it would have been a mess to get another one," she said. For now, overnight diagnostics remain a key strategy in Catalonia’s public healthcare system to manage demand without expanding staff.

Sources: El País.