Santa Cruz de Tenerife 11 Feb. (Europa Press) –
The Minister of Health for the Government of the Canary Islands, Esther Monzón, informed on Tuesday during the Plenary session of the Regional Parliament regarding the personal and material assets allocated for the healthcare of migrants arriving on the shores of the archipelago. This deployment of resources has resulted in a total expenditure of 26 million euros from January to December 2024, entirely covered by the Canary Health Service.
Monzón emphasised that the urgent necessity for state funding has been communicated to the Ministry of Health by the Canary Islands government, a request that enjoys unanimous backing from the Health Sector Table’s unions.
However, she noted that the SCS has taken on this expense fully “without, as of yet, the Government of Spain providing any compensation.”
“Healthcare for migrants is not only a humanitarian obligation but also a duty that should be shared collectively by the State,” stated the Minister of Health, who stressed that the Canary Islands “cannot bear this burden alone” and it is “crucial that the Government of Spain acknowledges its responsibilities and supplies the necessary resources to the Canary Islands to ensure proper healthcare.”
Esther Monzón indicated that the immigration crisis confronting the Canary Islands necessitates an immediate and coordinated health response. She outlined that the SCS has mobilised the necessary material and human resources to ensure dignified and adequate care for those migrants who arrive on the islands’ shores under greatly vulnerable circumstances.
Regarding material resources, initial assistance points have been established featuring stretchers, thermal blankets, hygiene kits, and quickly absorbed food items.
Basic and advanced life support ambulances have also been organised, along with vehicles designated for transferring patients to healthcare or reception centres.
Furthermore, the SCS has assigned primary care teams to monitor adult and paediatric migrants accommodated in temporary care facilities and has made hospital resources available where the severity of conditions demands, including emergency services, hospital beds, ICU, and surgical theatres.
In addition, healthcare personnel and interpreters for effective communication between medical staff and patients have been provided.
The councillor elaborated on the situation in El Hierro, where an advanced nursing life support ambulance has been operational 24 hours since January 2024. The teams attending at the dock and in the temporary care centre for foreigners have been strengthened, and the addition of a second health emergency technician is currently being evaluated.
