The Minister of Health of the Government of the Canary Islands, Esther Monzón (CC), assured yesterday, in the parliamentary commission of the area, that the hospital in the South of Tenerife is not only one of the great priorities of the Executive, but that the projects and forecasts from the previous mandate and an additional 45 million euros will be injected during these 4 years to turn it into the center that the residents of this region have been demanding for decades.
In response to questions from Nira Fierro (PSOE), Monzón recalled that one of the first meetings that the president, Fernando Clavijo, had was with the platforms of the Hospital del Sur and public health, “a meeting in which the president of the Cabildo was also present.” Tenerife and the director of the Canarian Health Service.” According to her, she stressed, it is a fair demand and a “very necessary” project.
Fierro, for his part, highlighted that, on January 23 of this year, a “historic” agreement was signed between the previous Government and the Tenerife Cabildo to expand this center, located in Arona, and turn it into a “true hospital after a tortuous file and decades of excuses. There was political will, as there was also with the CAE of Los Llanos de Aridane, key in the pandemic and the volcano.”
In this sense, he highlighted the relevance of the addendum to the agreement to complete the portfolio of services and to go from 28,000 to 47,000 meters to, among other things, have complete emergencies, ICU for adults and minors and a greater number of beds. Although he admits the difficulties in changing the ownership of the land and despite remembering that the staking act must still be signed, he trusts that this bet will not change and Monzón’s response was along those lines.
The counselor, however, indicated that they were surprised when they found that the 700,000 euros for this year were not there, although she understood it due to the effects of the pandemic. Of course, she insisted that it is an absolute priority of the Executive, and even more so if we take into account that the region can go from 235,000 current inhabitants to 257,000 in 2026, to which we must add the floating population.
As he stressed, the commitment will be reflected shortly or in 2024 with a hybrid radiology team; the opening of the laboratory 7 days a day, 24 hours a day, for which more staff will be hired; the technological renewal of the TAG (to be completed on the 27th of this month) and also open it 24 hours throughout the week, as well as the updating of the magnetic resonance equipment (December 27) and chemotherapy treatments to avoid transfers to La Candelaria. In addition, an outpatient dialysis area will be put out to tender and the 4 planned operating rooms will be opened, since now only 2 are operational, apart from neonatology wards, intensive care units and administrative areas, among others.
For Fierro, who highlighted the work of the citizen platforms, Monzón’s intervention recognizes what was done by the previous Government, although he hopes that it will opt for its own management for this center, as proposed in the amendments to the budget.
On the other hand, the PP proposal to create a sampling unit at the San Isidro-El Chorrillo (El Rosario) health center was unanimously approved in the commission. Likewise, the counselor explained the change in the supervision of the land ambulance service contract, responding to the interest of NC, apart from detailing the 14 works planned in 2024 in primary centers (6) and hospitals in Gran Canaria, in line with the work from 2019 to 2023.
