A meeting was held with a group of forensic doctors from the Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, led by the Deputy of the Common, Rafael Yanes, along with deputies Milagros Fuentes and Beatriz Barrera. The forensic doctors raised concerns about significant issues hindering their work performance, especially in areas such as assessing violence against women and psychosocial evaluations.
Julia Ibáñez, the Personnel delegate of the Justice Sector in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, was also present at the meeting.
Forensic doctor Raquel Domínguez, despite being on strike due to labour issues, brought attention to irregularities to the Common Deputy that she believes are of public interest. She mentioned issues such as lack of organisation, transparency, and communication with the director, which ultimately affects citizens.
She also expressed disappointment over the lack of planning, which prevents the use of the orthopantomograph for assessing the age of unaccompanied migrant minors.
Furthermore, she criticised the chosen location for installing the orthopantomograph, highlighting the biological and radiological risks associated with it.
“It is concerning that they want to place this equipment in an area with questionable health conditions, especially considering that minors undergoing tests would have to pass by the mortuary,” she pointed out.
Forensic doctor Ramón Llorente, based in La Gomera, stated that “the situation is even more critical on the non-capital islands,” highlighting issues such as the lack of communication with Tenerife’s service management regarding waste disposal and distributing masks.
“There have been no masks on La Gomera since January 23, and there has been no response since our request on January 8,” he emphasised.
Expressing concern, Deputy Rafael Yanes highlighted that this situation may impede the right to effective judicial protection as outlined in the Constitution.
“The lack of adequate resources is causing delays in psychosocial services, which has serious implications for matters such as child guardianship and gender-based violence,” he noted.
Yanes stressed the importance of placing the orthopantomograph, a device acquired by the Canary Islands Government for determining the age of unaccompanied migrants, in a suitable location to safeguard the rights of these individuals.
