The Minister of Health for the Government of the Canary Islands, Esther Monzón, announced yesterday during a parliamentary committee that the expansion plan for the Hospital del Sur includes the creation of a Palliative Care Unit in its third phase of development. She mentioned that her department already possesses the functional study determining the current needs and projected growth in multiple stages to ensure the hospital centre meets the requirements of the southern population, adhering to the principles of “operability, efficiency, and functional coherence.”
The recently completed study proposes establishing a Palliative Care Unit with the capacity for 10 beds, situated in module 1 on the ground floor.
Specific Area
“Presently, this area is occupied by hospital beds and, after the reform, an area with different characteristics would be created, featuring discreet spaces, sound insulation to facilitate patient accompaniment by their families, outdoor recreation spaces, meditation areas, as well as spaces for emotional release,” stated Esther Monzón in response to a query from deputy Rebeca Paniagua, spokesperson for the Popular Party on Health matters.
Paniagua emphasized that this is a significant issue and an initiative that “should already be underway”, highlighting that it is “a matter of common sense, dignity, and above all, humanity,” after recounting the “ordeal” experienced by the father and family of Vanesa Díaz, a resident of Cabo Blanco (Arona) who has initiated a citizen platform advocating for a Palliative Care Unit at the Hospital del Sur and has garnered 2,000 signatures of support in just over a month.
The Popular Party parliamentarian noted the projections of the World Health Organization (WHO), indicating that the need for units for pain management for terminally ill patients is expected to double in less than 25 years.
He concluded by posing the question: “Why was there no political will in the previous Government to implement the Canary Islands Palliative Care Strategy 2018-2021?” This strategy includes the establishment of units for Tenerife hospitals, as well as home care teams.
Nearer
The Minister of Health reiterated her department and the current Government of the Canary Islands’ commitment to advancing the aim of bringing services closer to patients.
“The actions promoted reflect our steadfast commitment to adapting and appropriately sizing the service portfolio of the Southern hospital centre to the demographic and socioeconomic changes of the region, encompassing the proposal of a Functional Plan for the hospital centre that finally incorporates the historical demands of the Pro Hospital Public Platform for the South of Tenerife,” the councillor stated.
Monzón closed her speech by noting that the Palliative Care Unit of the Ofra Hospital currently centrally caters for the sick on the island of Tenerife. However, she emphasized, “The Government of the Canary Islands is working to establish its own service for the HUC and the Hospital del Norte, which would be significantly reinforced in both the south and north of the Island.”
Upcoming Meeting
As reported in this newspaper last week, the Minister of Health will meet next Tuesday the 27th with Vanesa Díaz, the initiator of the citizen group, who continues to garner social and institutional support. The Common deputy, Rafael Yanes, has already accepted her complaint for processing, from which he will initiate “appropriate actions” with the Canarian Health Service.
The Mayor of Arona, Fátima Lemes, has also publicly expressed her support through this newspaper, deeming the Palliative Care Unit “essential for the municipality of Arona and the South”, expressing the City Council’s “full support” for the launch of this service at the Hospital del Sur, and stating her willingness to collaborate on an institutional protest front.
