[Too many or too few cardiologists?].

116 Cardiology has undergone explosive growth in recent years. This has been attributed to a series of factors, especially to scientific and technological advances, greater opportunities for the adequate treatment of many cardiovascular disorders and the growing public awareness of the magnitude of the problem created by these diseases. Moreover, the public has access to increasing amounts of information concerning the right to receive proper health care and the options that go with it. As new diagnostic and therapeutic techniques develop and those existing are made available to ever greater segments of the population (for questions of age, indication, or geographical accessibility), the demand for cardiologic care increases. Meanwhile, Spain is beginning to experience the difficulties involved in meeting this demand because of the shortage of qualified cardiologists. Not only is unemployment among Spanish cardiologists nonexistent; there are vacancies owing to a lack of candidates. True, these positions are not always the best ones, but that is another story. This circumstance, especially in small regional hospitals, obliges the limited number of available cardiologists to concentrate on doing what other specialists are less prepared to perform: technical procedures. In the meantime, who is seeing the patients? Who is practicing clinical cardiology at these locations? In general, specialists in internal medicine, intensive care or family medicine. Without going into unnecessary controversies, and acknowledging the qualifications of these professionals and their necessary participation in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, this is not the ideal situation for the patients. The best care in the case of cardiovascular diseases is that provided by those who know the most about them: the cardiologists. What is more, in contrast to what might be suggested at first glance (that the greater the demand, the better the worPR E S I D E N T’S PAG E