The manager of the Health Services of the Lanzarote Health Area, Pablo Eguia, presented this Thursday morning in a press conference the data of the healthcare activity of the Doctor José Molina Orosa University Hospital and the Primary Care centers of the island as of December 2024 and reported the incorporation of more than 57 new specialists in recent months, which has contributed to streamlining consultation activity.
In addition, he reported on the main projects and works of the Management planned for 2025 to improve the infrastructure and equipment of public health on the island.
During the past year, a total of 11,699 surgical interventions were performed at the Lanzarote Hospital, exceeding those performed in the previous year by 2%. The Molina Orosa also managed to reduce the waiting time for a surgical intervention by thirty days, given that in December 2023 a patient had to wait up to 91 days to be operated on, while currently the average delay is 61 days.
Consultations grow by 14%
Likewise, the Lanzarote hospital center has experienced a notable growth in consultation activity. In 2024, the hospital's specialists performed 220,266 consultations, which represents an increase of 14% compared to the 189,500 performed the previous year.
The manager explained that "the work carried out by all the professionals of the Management during the past year has led the Molina Orosa Hospital and the health centers to register a decrease in both the number of patients on the waiting list and the delay in being attended to."
Thus, the delay in many specialties has been significantly improved and has been significantly reduced for patients waiting for a consultation in specialties such as Vascular Surgery, Allergology, Cardiology, Gynecology, Ophthalmology, Oncology, Pain Unit and Otorhinolaryngology. While specialties such as Internal Medicine, Nephrology, Hematology or Pediatrics remain practically without delay.
These data have been achieved thanks to the consolidation of the Activa Plan, which has allowed a continuous decrease in the number of patients and the waiting time since its implementation in the second half of 2023.
Complementary tests
The manager of the Lanzarote Health Services has highlighted the improvement experienced in the complementary tests of the Digestive area. With four operating endoscopy rooms, 7,565 endoscopies were performed last year, that is, 30% more than the average of previous years.
In addition, Eguia highlighted the growth of almost 20% in neurophysiological tests, reaching 1,615 studies, thanks, he said, "to the collaboration of the Neurology and Neurophysiology service of the Doctor Negrín University Hospital of Gran Canaria."
On the other hand, he highlighted the activity of the Hemodynamics Unit, which has exceeded initial forecasts and has performed a total of 672 catheterizations, 348 angioplasties, has attended one hundred heart attack codes and placed 68 pacemakers.
Primary Care increases consultations by 10%
Regarding Primary Care, the number of total consultations attended in 2024 was 1,804,658, which is ten percent more than those registered in 2023. Of the total consultations last year, 724,492 were from Family and Community Medicine and 111,945 from Pediatrics.
Nurses at health centers attended 355,980 consultations and midwives assisted 30,582. For its part, Social Work carried out 9,387 consultations and the professionals of Psychology, Speech Therapy and Physiotherapy add up to around 213,822, while the Primary Emergency services attended a total of 358,450 consultations in 2024.
Historical investment
In his speech, Pablo Eguia highlighted the investments planned in the Canary Islands Budget Law for the Lanzarote Health Services Management in infrastructure and equipment for the year 2025, which reaches the historical figure of 7,624,745 euros, with a growth of almost 50% compared to the year that has just concluded.
This investment responds to the Management's commitment to strengthen Lanzarote's health and will allow the reform and growth of the hospital's and health centers' care areas, as well as the improvement of central services.
Improvement projects
The more than seven million euros of investment will materialize in different projects, such as the diesel tanks, endowed with 229,615 euros, the last phase of the implementation of the geothermal project worth 862,652 euros, the renovation of the medicinal gas plants with an amount of 701,180 euros or the lead lining of one of the hospital's operating rooms, budgeted at 206,966 euros.
Regarding the improvement of health centers and local clinics, the budget includes an item of 897,273 euros for the reform and air conditioning of the San Bartolomé Health Center and 200,000 euros for the renovation of the facilities of the Tahíche Local Clinic.
Finally, Pablo Eguia assured that "with the ultimate goal of improving healthcare in Lanzarote, the organizational structure and the planning of services, we have been working for some time on the preparation of the Management's Infrastructure Master Plan, a document commissioned to Gesplan that will respond to the challenges that currently arise in the health field of the island."
