The College of Physicians of Las Palmas defends the continuity of Lanzarote's geriatric model

The College of Physicians of Las Palmas has joined the groups and healthcare professionals who have publicly expressed their concern about the situation affecting the Geriatrics Service of the Hospital Insular de Lanzarote and the existing uncertainties about its location and future development.

In fact, this Saturday, June 20, at 11:00 AM, a demonstration is scheduled to demand the continuity of this hospital center, which will depart from Parque Islas Canarias.

The College understands the "difficulties" arising from the current state of healthcare infrastructure and the need to adopt provisional solutions when there are technical reasons to advise it. However, the professional association considers it "essential" that any transitional measure be accompanied by "a clear, planned, and sufficiently resourced commitment to guarantee the continuity of the care and teaching model built in Lanzarote."

To date, more than 15,100 signatures have been collected calling to "save" the Hospital Insular de Lanzarote on the Change.org platform.

For the College of Physicians of Las Palmas, the geriatric care provided on the island constitutes "an example of good care practice, by offering a specialized, comprehensive, and adapted response to the needs of the elderly," with more coordinated, humane, and person-centered care.

The College of Physicians of the Province has recalled that the Geriatrics Service of the Hospital Insular de Lanzarote is not "just a care resource," but also "a teaching and organizational benchmark for the Canary Islands." "Its track record in training specialists and its accreditation as a Multiprofessional Teaching Unit of Geriatrics oblige any change of location to preserve its care, training, and multidisciplinary work capacity," it indicated.

In a context of progressive aging and increased chronicity, the Canary Islands need to strengthen—not weaken—specialized geriatric resources. Therefore, the College believes that any temporary reorganization must avoid a provisional solution leading to a loss of capacity, resources, or quality of care for the elderly patients of Lanzarote.

The professional association also conveys its recognition to the professionals who have driven and sustained this project for years, and emphasizes that their experience must be heard in the planning of the service's future.

The College of Physicians of Las Palmas calls on health administrations to promote "a definitive solution, with adequate spaces, sufficient resources, and medium and long-term planning". "Lanzarote has shown that this model works; now it is up to us to ensure that any change preserves its care, teaching, and organizational conditions," they concluded.