The Ministry of Health of the Government of the Canary Islands has invested 4,968,160 euros in strengthening the diagnostic equipment of the health centers throughout the archipelago, one of the measures contemplated within the development of the +AP Strategy to reinforce and promote Primary Care in the islands.
Thus, 2,641,950 euros have been allocated to the incorporation of nine X-ray rooms, 772,710 to the purchase of 40 retinographs for the retisalud program of eye health, 714,573 euros to 128 portable ultrasound machines, 558,311 to the acquisition of 1,414 dermatoscopes, diagnostic tests that are part of the portfolio of services of Primary Care and that are carried out from the health centers themselves. In addition, 280,916 euros have been invested in the incorporation of 23 digital briefcases for home care.
The Canary Islands Health Service, attached to the Ministry of Health, has acquired a total of 1,373 polarized dermatoscopes and 41 hybrid dermatoscopes with a camera for distribution in all Health Areas of the islands, thus reinforcing the diagnostic capacity of skin lesions and early detection of skin cancer in Primary Care centers.
The implementation of dermatoscopy in Primary Care seeks to provide health centers with advanced tools that allow for greater resolution capacity and agility in decision-making and reduce the overload of Hospital Care. This action will improve the diagnostic capacity in the early detection of skin cancer, ensuring that the Family Medicine consultations of the SCS centers have this diagnostic tool.
Consultations in Primary Care
Health professionals from health centers and peripheral clinics throughout the archipelago, attached to the Canary Islands Health Service (SCS), carried out a total of 17,220,583 consultations during the year 2024, which represents an increase of 1.7 percent compared to the previous year, when 16,933,358 were carried out, that is, 287,225 more consultations.
The portfolio of services of health centers also includes minor outpatient surgery for performing surgical interventions such as cutaneous abscesses, epidermal and mucoid cysts, paronychia, wart, removal of the nail and ingrown nail, among other procedures.
Investment in continuing education
The Ministry of Health has invested one million euros in the continuing education of professionals in health centers. It recently delivered 16,000 copies of scientific publications and one thousand licenses for the annual continuing education course 'Update in Family Medicine' (AMF) of the Spanish Society of Family and Community Medicine (semFYC).
This project, framed in the +AP Strategy, pursues the training and updating of family doctors, pediatricians and other professionals of the teams of this level of care of the SCS.
These are publications of high scientific value, such as action guides and manuals specialized in dermatoscopy, electrocardiography, infiltration techniques and other content, as well as licenses for the continuing education courses of the SEMFYC.
Commitment to Primary Care
The Ministry of Health of the Government of the Canary Islands continues to bet on continuing to strengthen the care area of Primary Care as the backbone of the health system. The economic item for Primary Care for this year 2025 reaches 1,434,554,363 euros, which represents an increase of 6.55 percent and 88.2 million euros more than in 2024.
This investment is allocated to the promotion and strengthening of this level of care and specifically to continue with the promotion of the +AP Strategy to continue strengthening care in health centers and peripheral clinics in the areas of Family Medicine, Pediatrics, Nursing, Clinical Psychology, Physiotherapy, midwives and Social Work, among others.