The palliative care strategy of the Canary Islands Health Service has been described as “appropriate”. This is the response given by the organization to the City Council, following a complaint lodged by Vanesa Diaz, a resident of Cabo Blanco (Arona). She leads a citizens’ group that has been advocating for the decentralization of palliative care services to the southern and northern regions of Tenerife. Currently, terminally ill patients have to travel to Santa Cruz for pain management at the Ofra hospital.
Upon receiving the response through a report, Vanesa Diaz’s reaction was, “I do not understand how anyone could feel ashamed to claim that palliative care is adequate.” She criticised the report, describing it as “a bureaucratic document that fails to reflect the reality faced by patients and their families.” She urges the public to speak out and join them in demanding a change, stating, “Enough is enough, we are exhausted and in dire need of transformation.”
The evaluation report, based on the model approved by the Institutional Committee of the National Health System, highlights the achievements of the palliative care strategy in meeting various objectives set by the Ministry of Health. These goals primarily include comprehensive healthcare, patient autonomy, support for families and caregivers, human resources, and professional training.
The citizen’s group #NoSomosDeSegunda is preparing a critical response to the Canary Islands Health Service report. Vanesa Diaz expressed her disappointment with the arguments presented in the report, considering them “absurd”. She questions how long they must endure being treated as second-class citizens and criticises the letter received from the Health Department as “regrettable.”
Vanesa Diaz mentioned that actions can be taken until the palliative care unit at the Hospital del Sur becomes operational, which is estimated to take three years. She points out the availability of vacant beds in El Mojón and questions the absence of a 24/7 helpline in the Canary Islands. In response, the Ministry of Health is considering launching a pilot project for a dedicated palliative care helpline at a healthcare facility in southern Tenerife and another in Gran Canaria.
Despite the challenges, the spokesperson for the group commended the Minister of Health for their commitment and praised the professionalism and compassion of the staff at the palliative care unit of the Hospital de Ofra and across the Canary Islands Health Service. They are calling for increased resources and specialised training for the healthcare professionals.
The response from the Canary Islands Health Service, a three-page document reviewed by this newspaper, acknowledges the growth of palliative care resources in recent years but stresses the need for further progress in its development.
A Dozen Beds
Furthermore, the report states that Tenerife currently has 12 dedicated beds for complex palliative care. Additionally, there are multipurpose beds available on hospital floors to accommodate patients requiring less specialised palliative care (10 at the Hospital de la Candelaria, “4 to 6” at the HUC, and 4 at the Hospital del Sur). It is noted that bed availability is subject to occupancy due to other acute conditions necessitating hospitalisation.
