The PSOE of Lanzarote held two press conferences this Tuesday, where they signed a manifesto in front of the Insular Hospital to defend the continuity of the center as a reference in geriatric care and, furthermore, denounced the deterioration of healthcare on the island.
In this press conference, the general secretary of the PSOE in Lanzarote, Loli Corujo, highlighted that "we are experiencing a deterioration in healthcare on the island that has not been seen in recent decades and that fundamentally affects all services of the General Hospital and also all health centers on the island of Lanzarote".
"We are currently facing absolutely unmanageable waiting lists, both for specialist doctor appointments and for surgical interventions. Today, I want to tell you that it is not only the Socialist Party saying this, but also the platform in defense of public healthcare, that the Canary Islands, along with Madrid, are the autonomous communities that have most privatized public healthcare in our land," said Corujo.
Largest funding in history, but "leaves are not covered"
The general secretary of the PSOE of Lanzarote pointed out that this situation "greatly concerns" them, not only because the Canary Islands "has the largest funding in history in the Canary Islands for healthcare transferred by the Government, but also because we are facing absolutely unacceptable, unmanageable pressure against healthcare professionals."
"We find that leaves are not covered, that the entire nursing staff is on temporary contracts, and furthermore, we have a hospital management appointed, of course, by Coalición Canaria, which has even received dismissal notices from the works council itself up to three times," she continued.
In this regard, she pointed out that the PSOE "has the tools and resources to alleviate this situation. That is why today we want to raise the alarm and, above all, demand immediate responses."
Regarding infrastructure, the socialists have assured that "we are facing unprecedented mistreatment." "Never before has a president of a Cabildo, a regional deputy, said that Lanzarote does not deserve a health center like the one in Playa Honda, which congests and strains the service of a priority health center in Arrecife like Valterra with 12,000 health cards," indicated Corujo.
"We ask ourselves today after years of deciding and practically 26 years compared to what the Socialist Party has governed, where is the Argana health center? And something key, what commitment do Oswaldo Betancort, Coalición Canaria, and the Popular Party have to the Insular Hospital?", he continued.
Patients from Lanzarote referred to Maspalomas or Fuerteventura
Loli Corujo has put the privatization of healthcare in Lanzarote in the spotlight. "Lanzarote's pride in health matters and geriatrics is going to be dismantled with the absence and, above all, with the complicity of Oswaldo Betancort. We are talking about waiting lists, we are talking about healthcare, and we are talking about privatization," she stressed.
"When we talk about privatization, I want to give a voice to so many people who have approached this party and me personally to tell me that they are being referred to Maspalomas and Fuerteventura for certain procedures. This is absolutely deniable and unacceptable," she stated.
For his part, the spokesperson for Health of the Socialist Parliamentary Group, Miguel Ángel Pérez, highlighted that the budget allocated to healthcare increased by 1.040 million. "We are talking about almost 26% more money that the government of Pedro Sánchez contributes to public services, especially healthcare," he pointed out.
"That is why I invited the president of the government in Parliament to explain how it can be that with the largest budget in the history of healthcare we have the worst healthcare in history, not just according to the Socialist Party, but due to a real situation of patients in health, in hospitals, in services they can access, and obviously, a relationship in which they invest all their effort in private healthcare," he explained.
In this regard, Pérez emphasized that "private healthcare in the Canary Islands in the last consolidated fiscal year, which was the year 2023, billed about 350 million euros in the Canary Islands, 60% more than in the previous year. Therefore, what we are saying is that what really functions based on public healthcare is contracted healthcare. What makes money from the situation is contracted healthcare through public healthcare."
"The patients are paying for the health problem of Coalición Canaria, their lack of planning, their way of orienting budgets, and above all, the pressures they exert in the places where they have governing capacity. Lanzarote in particular is the worst island for growth according to official data. The waiting list has grown by 57.5% compared to December. We are talking about one more patient appearing for every other," he continued.
Regarding these data offered by CC, the PSOE has assured that "the improvement is not real. They have manipulated, they have mishandled the waiting list information over time, and what is starting to come out now is what happens when the Treasury has cut them off."
"The problem is that if we cut professionals, if we cut infrastructure, if we do not execute the budget we have available to be able to advance, and what we are doing is paying to outsource, we are turning healthcare into a business for the private sector, and that is something the Socialist Party is completely against." "Absences, vacations, elements not covered during this summer that only increase the overload of the professionals who have provided services, a delay in the provision of services, and, of course, poor human resource planning," he explained.
Signing of a commitment for the defense of the Insular Hospital of Lanzarote
Furthermore, the Socialist Parliamentary Group signed this Tuesday, along with the works committee of the Insular Hospital and the general secretary of the PSOE of Lanzarote and deputy in Congress, María Dolores Corujo, a commitment to the people of Lanzarote to protect, rehabilitate, and modernize the center and guarantee the permanence of its multidisciplinary geriatric care model. The deputy and spokesperson for Health, Miguel Ángel Pérez del Pino, signed the document on behalf of the parliamentary group, which commits to promoting the necessary financing for the reform of its current facilities.
The commitment has the signatures of Ariel Bonilla, president of the works committee, and Coralia Lobato González and Catalina Darias Delgado, representatives of Intersindical Canaria. The document includes the demands of patients, families, caregivers, social organizations, and professionals of the Insular Hospital, recognizing their essential role in the defense of rights, dignity, and public healthcare.
The insular general secretary highlights that the agreement contemplates the comprehensive reform of the current facilities and the improvement of their clinical-assistance capabilities, preserving a specialized model that has been developed since 1987. The center houses the only multidisciplinary teaching unit for geriatrics accredited by the Ministry of Health in the Canary Islands.
"The Insular Hospital is a source of pride for Lanzarote's public healthcare. We assume this commitment to Lanzarotean society because the future of the Insular Hospital affects the entire island. Our elderly need specialized public care, their families need support, and their professionals need resources to continue their work. CC and PP have the responsibility to guarantee it," she states.
Pérez del Pino has highlighted the value of care that integrates physiotherapy, rehabilitation, long-term care, professional support, and personalized nutrition, in addition to support for families and caregivers.
"When something works, when there is accumulated experience, committed professionals, and a care model that responds to the needs of the population, what must be done is to reinforce it, care for it, and help it grow. Never destroy it, weaken it, or condemn it to uncertainty, as Coalición Canaria and the Partido Popular are doing with the Insular Hospital of Lanzarote," she has denounced.
The document establishes that, if the Canary Islands Budget project for 2027 does not include a specific, sufficient, and adequate allocation for the rehabilitation and reform of the current facilities, the Socialist Parliamentary Group will present an amendment with multi-year financing.
Pérez del Pino has announced this initiative and pointed out that "the Insular Hospital cannot continue to depend on empty headlines, without specifics or budget, and on an uncertainty that is paid for by those who most need a public response: patients, families, and professionals." The commitment also includes that, if the PSOE assumes governmental responsibilities in the Canary Islands, it will project, finance, and execute the reform, rehabilitation, and modernization of the current facilities, ensuring the permanence of its multidisciplinary geriatric model.
"We put in writing what we are going to defend in the institutions and what we commit to execute when we assume Government responsibilities. The Insular Hospital must have modernized facilities and the necessary resources to maintain and reinforce the quality of its care," Corujo emphasizes.
The agreement also establishes that the planning and schedules of the works must be adjusted as much as possible to minimize their impact on patients, caregivers, and families, always prioritizing the quality of geriatric and socio-sanitary care.
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