An agreement between the Ministry of Health and Emerlan will allow covering the emergency healthcare service 24 hours a day in La Graciosa until the end of the year. The eighth island will have personnel that will guarantee the transfers of residents and visitors.
The agreement was reached after a meeting between the mayor, Oswaldo Betancort, and the councilor delegate of La Graciosa, Alicia Páez, with the general director of Economic Resources of the Canary Health Service, Joaquín Morales. This meeting took place weeks after a resident of La Graciosa had to be transported in a company truck, as an ambulance was not available.
This young resident of La Graciosa suffered an accident and, although 112 was called, they could not get an ambulance, so they had to transfer him to the Health Center of La Graciosa with the first thing they found available. Alicia Páez stated at that time that this was not a unique case, but that in a few days there had been two other similar cases, with tourists who needed medical assistance and had to be transported in private cars. Precisely for this reason, Páez demanded an ambulance service, like the rest of the Islands.
Now, this agreement has been reached, which includes the hiring of four healthcare transport technicians as a fixed staff provision until at least December 31. This staff joins the 15 Emerlan volunteers who already covered this service on the island.
"The same right to receive dignified healthcare coverage"
Betancort has thanked Joaquín Morales, as well as the councilor Brígida Mendoza "for the response to a fair and reasonable demand from the residents of La Graciosa, who have the same right to receive dignified healthcare coverage as the rest of the citizens of the municipality".
In addition, the eighth island already has the new Emerlan rescue and emergency vehicle, which is "very good news for the residents and visitors of La Graciosa", according to Alicia Páez. "Although it is a temporary solution, the island will have emergencies and transfers to the dock of the citizens of La Graciosa covered, according to the commitment acquired by the Canary Health Service", Páez assured.
However, she has stated that it is "her duty to insist that the definitive solution involves seeking other solutions for the Emergency service for next year, fully guaranteeing medical assistance to the island and its inhabitants".
