More than 199,000 patients were waiting for surgery in Costa Rica’s public healthcare system at the end of 2025 as a severe shortage of anesthesiologists forced major hospitals to close operating rooms and reschedule procedures. An internal audit of the Costa Rican Social Security Fund, known as the CCSS or Caja, identified a nationwide shortage […] The post Costa Rica Hospitals Cancel Surgeries Amid Specialist Shortage appeared first on The Tico Times | Costa Rica News | Travel | Real Estate.