SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE 22 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Assembly7islas has dispatched a letter to the Ministry of Health and the social services of the autonomous community, highlighting the “serious condition” of public hospitals in the Canary Islands. This issue is particularly pronounced in the capital islands, which currently have 600 beds occupied by certain patients who have been discharged and are considered “defenceless,” leading to overcrowding on the wards and a strain on emergency services.
According to the group’s statement, Tenerife is the island most severely affected by this “devastating” healthcare scenario, with a total of 360 patients, 235 of whom are at La Candelaria Hospital, including 33 in the Emergency Department.
Following La Candelaria, the Canary Islands University Hospital (HUC) is dealing with 133 patients, with 45 in the Emergency Room, while the Doctor Negrín Hospital in Gran Canaria has 128 patients, 30 of whom are in the Emergency Room. The Insular-Maternal and Child Hospital is also facing challenges, with 67 patients in its wards.
Assembly7Islas cautions that the unavailability of these beds, owing to alerts from the Ministry of Health regarding peak cases of flu and covid-19, could lead to a “significantly compromised situation for healthcare, prolonging waiting lists and creating further chaos in Emergency services.”
Consequently, they are urging the Ministry of Health to bolster staffing levels on weekends and during public holidays, as well as to enhance and adjust “appropriate areas” for patients seeking emergency care.
