Lack meters were installed in health units in São Vicente, SP City Hall of São Vicente One in three patients (33%) did not show up for health appointments in São Vicente, on the coast of São Paulo, in the first half of 2026. The municipality has the second highest rate of absences in Baixada Santista, behind only Guarujá (40%). The City of São Vicente implemented "faltometers" in all primary and specialized health units in the second half of 2025 to raise awareness among the population. The panels bear the phrase: “The appointment you miss, someone else misses”. ?Click here to follow the g1 Santos channel on WhatsApp. According to the municipal administration, missed appointments and exams in the public network are a concern for the region, as the situation increases waiting times. To combat the problem, the Regional Department of Health (DRS) approved a plan to improve communication and organization of care, with actions planned for this semester. Missed appointments disrupt appointments at health units in São Vicente Despite the measures, missed appointments and exams continued to rise. In the specialized network, absences went from 23,400, between January and May 2025, to 25,000 in the same period of 2026. In primary care, the city hall recorded 32,500 absences from January to June 2025, compared to 35,200 in the same months of 2026. Effects in practice Considering the average number of absences recorded in São Vicente (33%), a unit that provides 200 services per month stops receiving, on average, 15 patients per week. For a patient placed in the 500th place in a care queue in that same unit, the wait would last around two and a half months if everyone showed up normally. However, with a third of absences, the waiting time rises to more than three and a half months. In addition to the fault meters, the city hall reported that it adopts other strategies to reduce absenteeism (unreported absences). These include prior communication about appointments and the work of community health agents, who actively search for patients to reinforce the importance of attendance. Check the ranking of municipalities with the most absences recorded in exams and consultations: Guarujá: 40% (in 2026) São Vicente: 33% (January to June) Itanhaém: 29.9% (January to June) Bertioga: 27% (January to April) Santos: 24% in Consultar and 14% in Exames (January to May) Cubatão: 23% (January to June) Praia Grande: 23% (January to April) Mongaguá: 22.3% (January to May) Peruíbe: did not respond. VIDEOS: g1 in 1 minute Santos