The deputy of the Canarian Nationalist Group, Oswaldo Betancort, addressed his question this Tuesday in a parliamentary session to the Minister of Social Rights, Equality, Diversity and Youth of the Government of the Canary Islands, asking about the reasons why the works of the future residence for the elderly in Tahiche have not started, despite the fact that the first stone was laid months ago.
“Almost 7 months have passed since its placement and, perhaps, the trade winds swept it away, but the truth is that experience and my intuition tell me that there are problems with its award, so I don't know how long it may take”, warned the deputy and mayor of Teguise.
“Lanzarote is the fourth island in relation to social and health places, behind Tenerife, Gran Canaria and La Palma; and taking into account that it has some 19,000 people over 65 years of age - a high figure for the few resources we have - it is even more worrying to know that the bulk of our population is in people between 40-54 years of age, so progressive aging is very high, and in 10 years we will double the current figures of our elders, which makes early planning necessary”, added Betancort.
“Currently we have an offer of 227 places in residences and with the construction of the future social and health center of Tahiche, it would increase to a total of 357 places, which does not solve the problem of the demand for these infrastructures on the island, but it is true that it would alleviate us a little”, he said.
“On May 4 of this year, the first stone of this future center in Tahiche was laid, which will have 180 places, and whose investment of 19 million was committed by the former president of the Canarian Government, Fernando Clavijo, and by the former president of the Cabildo of Lanzarote, Pedro San Ginés, once the City Council of Teguise ceded the municipal land”, recalled Betancort.
“While the works are delayed, without anyone saying a word, time continues to pass, our people continue to age and the demand and the waiting list increase. A list that is made by the Government of the Canary Islands, managed by the Dependency Service, where all those cases of social emergency that are derived by the social services of the entire Island are also managed and incorporated, through extraordinary procedures. The evaluations of the Dependency Law are eternal and take about three years to resolve from the time the evaluation is requested until the aid resource is finally granted”, he pointed out.
In this sense, Oswaldo Betancort transferred this issue to the Minister of the area, hoping that the response would not be that “the responsibility lies with the Cabildo of Lanzarote, but effectively, that has been the response, despite the fact that they went to my municipality of Teguise to take a nice photo with the president of the Cabildo, now they are kicking balls out, disengaging from the execution of a work that she herself put as an example and reference for the construction of a new model of social and health center”.
“In Lanzarote we are tired of seeing how items are painted and not executed and we are concerned that the main demands of the island are not taken seriously”, concluded Betancort.
