The deputy Yoné Caraballo, a parliamentarian from Nueva Canarias-Bloque Canarista (NC-bc), for the island of Lanzarote in the Parliament of the Canary Islands, met this Thursday in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, at the headquarters of Comisiones Obreras de Canarias (CCOO), with the general secretary of the union in the Canary Islands, Vanesa Frahija, and also with institutional and socio-sanitary representatives of the organization.
The meeting aimed to gather support to coordinate a joint defense in favor of the current care model provided by the Insular Hospital of Lanzarote, "whose continuity is at risk due to the intention of the Government of the Canary Islands (formed by Coalición Canaria and Partido Popular) together with the Insular Cabildo of Lanzarote, to transfer part of its services, users, and workers to the Emerging Diseases building of the Doctor José Molina Orosa Hospital".
According to Caraballo, “there is deep concern about the lack of transparency surrounding this possible relocation, especially regarding its duration and the future use of the land and the current building of the Insular Hospital”.
The Canarista thanked CCOO Canarias for its willingness to support the defense of the Lanzarote sociosanitary center. “We very positively value the union's involvement in the defense of the Insular Hospital. We are talking about a care model that has demonstrated its effectiveness and humanity in caring for frail elderly people for more than 75 years, being a benchmark not only in the Canary Islands but throughout the State,” he stated.
The deputy also announced the start of a round of contacts to form a broad social, union, and political movement that will allow Lanzarote's society to be made aware of the risk posed by this decision. "There is no budgetary allocation for the reform of the current building, there is no known rehabilitation project, nor a serious and real commitment to guarantee the continuity of what we know today as the Insular Hospital of Lanzarote. We cannot allow an exemplary model to be dismantled without clear guarantees," he stressed.
For her part, Vanesa Frahija reiterated CCOO's commitment to the defense of public healthcare and the Hospital Insular. "Defending the Hospital Insular is defending a care model centered on the frail elderly person, which has been a benchmark in the Canary Islands. From CCOO we will support any initiative that guarantees the continuity of this essential public service and the rights of its workers and users," she pointed out.
Both parties agreed on the need to "act with unity and responsibility, placing the general interest of the citizenry above any political or union difference, with the common objective of preserving a historic and fundamental socio-sanitary resource for Lanzarote".
