The Lanzarote parliamentarian of the Canarian Nationalist Group (CC), Cristina Calero, firmly defended in the Plenary Session of the Parliament of the Canary Islands the Government's management to guarantee the future of the Insular Hospital of Lanzarote, dismantling what she described as "rumors, demagoguery, and political opportunism" by the Socialist Party in the non-binding proposal debated this Tuesday.
During his speech, Calero stressed that talking about the Insular Hospital "is talking about much more than a building," it is talking about identity, about a model of comprehensive care centered on the elderly and on the professionals who provide an essential socio-health service on the island.
The nationalist deputy reproached the PSOE for its "complicit silence" during the years it held government responsibilities, recalling that the Insular Hospital was the only one in the Canary Islands that did not belong to the Canary Islands Health Service and that this situation of instability was corrected by a Government led by Fernando Clavijo, along with José Manuel Baltar and Pedro San Ginés.
Calero was especially forceful in recalling that in 2019 and 2023 there were reports warning of serious deficiencies in the electrical installation, in the fire protection systems, in the thermal installation, and in the center's infrastructure. "And they looked the other way," he denounced, pointing out that not a single parliamentary question was registered by those who today pretend to give lessons.
“Not a single cent”
Likewise, he accused the previous Executive of the so-called “Pact of the Flowers” of not allocating “a single cent” specifically to resolve the structural situation of the Insular Hospital, despite acknowledging in writing the need for a technical study, a comprehensive reform, and a functional plan that they never carried out.
Faced with this, Calero defended that the current Government is indeed acting: "More has been invested in healthcare in Lanzarote in one year of this legislature than in several years of the previous legislature," he stated, also highlighting the commitment of funds from the Cabildo de Lanzarote to guarantee care for the elderly and the stability of professionals. He recalled that Lanzarote and La Graciosa have a budget of more than 14 million euros for 2026, a testament to the commitment to healthcare in the Islands.
The nationalist deputy flatly rejected the accusations of privatization, recalling that "those who privatized public services in elder care in Lanzarote were precisely you," in reference to the Las Cabreras residence.
“Today we say no to their hoaxes disguised as initiatives,” concluded Calero, assuring that while others “ride on demagoguery,” the nationalist Government will continue to manage to guarantee a dignified, stable, and person-centered socio-health model for the elderly of Lanzarote.