The Los Dolores festivals kicked off this Wednesday night with Dr. María Teresa Godoy Suárez, director of the Tinajo Health Center, who served as the opening speaker representing all the workers of the Lanzarote Health Area. A recognition that both the Cabildo and the Tinajo City Council consider especially significant for highlighting those who work every day at the service of the citizens.
The president of the Cabildo, Oswaldo Betancort, argued that the choice of health professionals as opening speakers for Los Dolores "perfectly represents the spirit of these festivals: a land that, even in the most difficult times, has always known how to take care of its own."
"Lanzarote has built a good part of its history on the ability to overcome difficulties. We have learned to make the most of every drop of water, to cultivate on ash, and to get back up after every blow. And we have also learned something fundamental: that an island is stronger when it protects and cares for its people," Betancort stated.
Five centuries of a history of care
The opening speaker, María Teresa Godoy, focused her speech on the evolution of healthcare in Lanzarote and on the people who, generation after generation, have contributed to building it.
"To speak of the healthcare of our island," Godoy stated, "is to speak of entire generations who fought to survive in a land as beautiful as it is demanding. It is to speak of the silent effort of thousands of people who, for centuries, did everything possible to alleviate the suffering of others."
The opening speaker recalled that the island's healthcare history is also the history of a society that had to face epidemics, droughts, famines, and enormous difficulties in accessing medical resources, until reaching the current healthcare system. The doctor particularly championed the value of human attention in the face of increasingly technological medicine and argued that "medicine will be truly excellent when it manages to unite the best technology with the best humanity."
Likewise, she remembered doctors, nurses, midwives, pharmacists, assistants, technicians, orderlies, emergency professionals, administrative staff, social workers, psychologists, physiotherapists, and all the people who have contributed and continue to contribute to the care of the population of Lanzarote.
“Before patients, there are people; before illnesses, there are life stories,” stated the town crier, emphasizing listening, closeness, and support as essential elements of healthcare.
Tinajo recognizes the commitment of healthcare professionals
During the event, the mayor of Tinajo, Jesús Machín, highlighted that the City Council wanted to make the opening speech of the Fiestas de Nuestra Señora de los Dolores 2026 a collective recognition of the workers of the Lanzarote Health Area. “I sincerely believe that there could not be a better way to recognize and thank the enormous work they do every day for all of us,” stated Machín.
The mayor conveyed the gratitude of the entire town of Tinajo “for their dedication, their commitment, and for always being there when we need them most,” and stressed that the appointment of healthcare professionals as town criers “will be written in the history of Tinajo and Lanzarote.”
Machín highlighted that behind every consultation, every shift, and every care “there are people who dedicate their lives to caring for others,” thus vindicating the commitment, vocation, and humanity that are part of an essential job for all citizens.
Los Dolores: Identity and tradition
This recognition takes on special significance within the framework of the festivities in honor of Nuestra Señora de los Dolores, a celebration deeply rooted in Tinajo and in the feelings of its residents.
In this regard, the vice-president and head of the Planning and Project Coordination Area, María Jesús Tovar, assured that this opening speech “kicked off a series of events that highlight our culture, identity, and traditions.” “In the First Corporation, we are aware that we must care for and respect our own, which is why I invite the island's citizens to come to Mancha Blanca, with caution and respect, to enjoy the island festivities.”
The president, Oswaldo Betancort, emphasized that “the festivity once again serves as a meeting point to share, celebrate, and keep traditions alive, but also as an opportunity to value those who, from different fields, work every day for the well-being of others,” he concluded.
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