The Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social (CCSS) has faced ongoing challenges with patient waitlists, a persistent issue affecting numerous citizens.

Current figures reveal a dramatic increase in waiting times for medical consultations and procedures, with 188,288 people awaiting care as of January 2025.

Data from the CCSS indicates that the number of individuals on waiting lists has escalated from 178,618 in 2023 to 185,845 in 2024. Notably, an alarming statistic highlights that some patients, such as those at the Hospital San Francisco de Asís, are experiencing average wait times of 942 days, with some waiting as long as 2,954 days for an appointment, indicative of just under eight years.

In response to this ongoing crisis, the CCSS Board of Directors approved an operational plan for 2025 aimed at reducing these waiting lists.

The plan, presented by the Medical Management team, focuses on enhancing care during regular hours.

To address the backlog, the CCSS has committed to serving over 730,000 individuals currently on the waiting lists throughout 2025. The workload will be categorized into three segments: 258,000 cases for outpatient consultations, 441,000 for ambulatory procedures, and 31,000 for elective surgeries.

A national epidemiological profile based on over 20 million requests submitted between 2019 and 2023 has been utilized to prioritize the most critical health issues affecting various regions.

The CCSS has earmarked a budget of 29 billion colones for the implementation of this plan, with an expectation that 80% of the appointments will occur during ordinary working hours.

Furthermore, the Board of Directors indicated that a report will be requested within three months to evaluate the project's progress, analyzing outcomes and budgetary compliance.

In a separate education initiative, the Dirección de Educación Privada within the Ministry of Public Education (MEP) has opened a public consultation for a regulatory framework intended to oversee private educational institutions.

This new regulation aims to ensure that private schools meet the quality standards defined by the state.

Institutions have until April 1 to submit observations regarding the proposed Regulations for Equivalence, Accreditation, and Inspection of Private Educational Offerings, which seeks to regulate inspections and oversee public funds allocated to these institutions.

The MEP states that the goal is to guarantee that education in private institutions adheres to national quality standards, facilitating compliance with approved curricula.

The proposed regulations would allow MEP officials to inspect private educational facilities and to monitor the expenditure of public funds.

Further developments include an ongoing investigation by the Procuraduría de la Ética Pública into complaints against the rector of the University of Costa Rica, Carlos Araya Leandro, related to alleged irregularities in construction contracts and infrastructure projects during his tenure.

The complaint, submitted in February 2025, accuses various university officials of allowing deficiencies in projects financed by loans from the World Bank, including notable construction projects at the university.

The investigation is in the admissibility analysis phase, with the complainant requesting that the findings also be referred to the Public Ministry if any wrongdoing is indicated.

Additionally, it has been noted that previous complaints have led to temporary detentions of other university officials linked to construction-related offenses.