The mayor of Teguise, Olivia Duque, has conveyed to the Minister of Health of the Government of the Canary Islands, Esther Monzón, the "urgent need" to expand and reinforce the Local Clinic of Tahíche, one of the population centers that has grown the most in recent years in Lanzarote and that with 5,214 registered inhabitants “demands a health response in accordance with the demographic rhythm of the municipality and the demands of its population.”
Duque indicates that “the current portfolio of services of the Tahíche Clinic has become insufficient” and regrets that many residents have to travel to Teguise or Costa Teguise to access basic primary care specialties such as physiotherapy, psychology, social work, midwife or pediatrics. “We are not talking about a luxury, but about a fundamental right that must be guaranteed in conditions of equity for all citizens,” she emphasizes.
The mayor has valued the effectiveness of the Ministry when it comes to "undertaking an urgent work" of almost half a million euros to carry out "the complete renovation of the electrical network, integrating renewable energy sources and new technologies, and of the exterior carpentry, in addition to improving the water supply, the general accessibility of the center and the access to toilets and changing rooms." All of this, she assured, “after the previous regional government did absolutely nothing about it.”
"Functional improvement"
However, and despite also recognizing the effort of the Lanzarote Health Services Management and the technical team that works on the preparation of the Master Plan for Health Infrastructures for the island, Olivia Duque points out that said Plan “must contemplate the functional improvement of primary care in the Tahíche area, with a forecast of growth and with real solutions in the short and medium term.”
Among the specific requests transferred by Duque to the Minister of Health is the planning of a future expansion of the Clinic, with adequate spaces for additional doctors and nurses, as well as areas enabled for other essential health professionals such as pediatricians, psychologists, speech therapists, physiotherapists, midwives and social workers.
“We want the entire population of the municipality of Teguise to have access to comprehensive healthcare in their own environment, without being forced to make unnecessary trips or be part of long waiting lists. And in this sense, the population growth of Tahíche demands a structural response for the Local Clinic,” the mayor concludes.