The Minister of Health, Esther Monzón, reported this Friday in the Health Commission of the Parliament of the Canary Islands on the proposal to incorporate twenty more school nurses in the classrooms of the Canary Islands during 2026 with a budget of 1,200,000 euros. Of these, two of these incorporations would be in Lanzarote.
Monzón recalled that the staff of this joint program between the Canary Islands Government's Ministries of Health and of Education, Vocational Training, Physical Activity and Sports is made up of twenty-three professionals for the 2025-2026 academic year.
The School Nurse program aims for "the regular presence of a school nurse in the centers, who not only attends to immediate health situations but also works on prevention and health promotion activities within the school community," recalled Esther Monzón.
In this regard, the regional official stated that the evaluations carried out during the program's execution show that more than 90% of **health incidents are resolved directly in the centers**, without the need for referral"This not only helps reduce school absenteeism, but also optimizes healthcare resources, allowing both students and the healthcare system to benefit from this direct and efficient care," Monzón addedRegarding special education centers, the regional official stated during her speech that "all these facilities already have support healthcare staff and we are above the state average."In the case of the remaining classrooms, Esther Monzón reiterated that since the launch of this program as a pilot project, progress has been made progressively in its implementation in all centers. "Although full coverage has not yet been achieved, we can affirm that the Canary Islands is one of the autonomous communities where the most progress has been made in the implementation of school nursing," assured the Minister of Health.In today's proposal in the Health Commission, it is suggested that, out of the twenty new professionals, five will join schools in Gran Canaria, six in Tenerife, two in Lanzarote, four in Fuerteventura, and one each in La Palma, La Gomera, and El Hierro, respectively.