The president of the Cabildo of Lanzarote, Oswaldo Betancort, announced this Friday in the corporation's plenary session that the institution "is finalizing" an agreement with the Ministry of Health of the Government of the Canary Islands to finance the improvement of health equipment and infrastructure on the island. In this agreement, the Cabildo of Lanzarote has committed to contributing 500,000 euros
According to the island's main institution, the agreement will allow "to guarantee the temporary transfer" of the Geriatric Day Hospital of the Insular Hospital, reinforcing care for the elderly and improving health management in Lanzarote and La Graciosa. According to Betancort, the transfer "will be carried out with the conformity of the Health Management, the direction of the Health Area and the management and multidisciplinary team of the Insular Hospital, guaranteeing that the quality of care and the training of specialists will not be affected".
Oswaldo Betancort has assured that "the Geriatrics service, a model in Lanzarote, will not only not diminish one iota, but will improve considerably". The president has highlighted the importance of "continuity of care and his personal commitment". "With this agreement," he added, "we guarantee that part of the necessary health infrastructures for the reception of the Insular Hospital will be replaced and that the necessary equipment and infrastructures will be provided to guarantee all healthcare, as well as consultations from other specialties".
Betancort has stressed that “we are not going to accept uncertainty for patients, families, or professionals. I will be a guarantor and vigilant of every move of the Canary Islands Health Service in this service and in the improvement of the rest of the specialties that Lanzarote needs and deserves”.
For her part, the vice-president of the Cabildo and Minister of Finance, María Jesús Tovar, has underlined that the economic allocation of 500,000 euros is part of "rigorous and responsible budgetary management that demonstrates the Cabildo's commitment to quality public healthcare and responsible management of island resources at the service of the citizenry".
Facing political noise, management with facts
Betancort has criticized the PSOE for "doing absolutely nothing when they governed, despite having damning reports since 2019 that warned of the deficient state of the Insular Hospital, and when they are in opposition they use banners".
“For you,” insisted the island president, “governing is speaking with empty words, but for us governing is managing with facts and solutions”.
“Unfortunately,” added Oswaldo Betancort, “you come to subtract, not to add, you come to use suffering, uncertainty, and fear in such a sensitive aspect as the healthcare of our elders, which is of grave irresponsibility.”
Betancort also explained that the proposal for the temporary transfer of the Geriatric Day Hospital of the Insular Hospital to the Multipurpose Building "has the conformity of the management team and the multidisciplinary team that currently make up the Geriatric Day Hospital"."Here the important thing is not the noise, but the guarantee. And that guarantee is materialized in facts," the president has underlined, who has highlighted that, "under the current management of Coalición Canaria both in the Government of the Canary Islands and in the Cabildo of Lanzarote, investments in health matters have grown significantly, which allows us to move forward with certainty in the improvement of equipment and infrastructure. Less noise and more management," Oswaldo Betancort has concluded.