On Thursday, the Regional Minister for Health, Esther Monzón, defended her department’s budget for 2027, which stands at over 5,245 million euros, an increase of 8.53 per cent, whilst the PSOE views this as a lost legislative term for public healthcare in the Canary Islands, compounded, according to NC-BC, by the fact that it is run by «clueless amateurs».
The presentation of the health authority’s accounts for 2027 to the parliamentary Committee on Budgets and Finance took place during a tense session, during which the committee chair, the Socialist Nira Fierro, reprimanded NC-BC MP Yoné Caraballo for using derogatory terms, and which concluded with the minister calling the PSOE spokesperson, Miguel Ángel Pérez del Pino, a «fool».
In her first statement, Esther Monzón defended a budget drawn up to meet the objectives of reducing waiting lists, strengthening health strategies, stabilising the workforce, increasing staffing levels, raising pay and ensuring an efficient and regionally balanced health service.
Canary Islands: Health budget boosts staffing levels and primary care
She explained that, with regard to the 2023 budget, the Regional Ministry has increased its budget by 1,452 million, representing a rise of 38.3 per cent.
The Human Resources budget will increase by 9.6 per cent to 2,873 million euros, and includes the 4.5 per cent pay rise planned for 2027 and the recruitment of at least 300 junior doctors.
The budget for hospital care is 3,344 million euros, and the specific allocation for the ‚Plan Activa‘ to reduce waiting lists will amount to 31.4 million, an increase of 10.7 per cent.
She also announced that the budget for primary care has been increased by 11.2 per cent to 1,655 million euros.
Public health strategies will see their funding increased to 43.6 million to finance epidemiological and entomological surveillance systems, vaccination programmes, food safety, the plan to tackle childhood obesity and health promotion programmes, amongst others.
The Directorate-General for Blood Donation and Haemotherapy will manage 22.7 million; 43.7 million will be allocated to strategies for rare and neurodegenerative diseases, including 42.5 million for orphan medicines, 3.9 million for child and adolescent mental health, and 3.1 million to expand the network of early intervention centres.
Meanwhile, 21.4 million has been allocated to the vaccination programme, 6.85 million to breast, bowel and cervical cancer screening programmes, 15.7 million to fund addiction treatment, 28.7 million for investment in primary care and 106.7 million for emergency healthcare.
Hospitals to receive 142.2 million for infrastructure
The budget allocation for infrastructure and equipment totals 142.2 million, with funds earmarked for the creation of the cyclotron and radiopharmacy unit at the HUC, to enhance services at the Hospital del Norte and expand the Hospital del Sur in Tenerife, as well as to construct the Advanced Therapies building at the Dr Negrín Hospital, which will house another cyclotron, and a facility to accommodate proton therapy and the cyclotron, as well as the hydrogen self-generation and consumption project, amongst others.
Plans also include the completion of the Paediatric Tower at the Canary Islands University Maternity and Children’s Hospital and the equipping of the new short-stay unit at the Insular Hospital, amongst other initiatives.
Opposition criticises staffing policy and outstanding payments
Speaking on behalf of his party, Socialist MP Miguel Ángel Pérez del Pino has condemned «the blatant decline and devastating cutbacks» in health services; he has criticised the fact that the planned increase of 518 staff at the HUC will be at the expense of the islands‘ other hospitals, for the sake of «propaganda for Tenerife», and has claimed that Monzón will leave the next government with «a shortfall» in payments to the private healthcare sector.
For Yoné Caraballo, of NC-BC, managing more than 5,000 million «is a fortune» and in a multinational company they would put «the best people in charge of the money», but in the Regional Ministry, he said, «we put in incompetent people and cronies, and in the end it’s a disaster», with staff «burnt out» and patients resorting to private tests.
Vox MP Nicasio Galván has criticised «the waste» of allocating 15 million euros a year to care for irregular migrants and the outstanding debt of a further 25 million for assistance to tourists, adding that the budgets are «enormous» but that without healthcare workers «this doesn’t work and SCS staff are up in arms».
La Gomera and El Hierro are calling for better services
PP’s Jacob Quadri has expressed regret at «the course» the committee has taken and has acknowledged the efforts of the Regional Ministry, and he is confident that this will lead to improvements in healthcare, particularly in the case of La Palma, where there will be a radiology unit so that cancer patients do not have to travel to Tenerife for treatment.
José Alberto Díaz-Estébanez, of the Nationalist Group, has contrasted the 2027 accounts with «the tall tales» of the previous government, which, in his view, managed the health service with errors and shortcomings that only served to «bring it to a standstill», resulting in an «unbearable» 40 per cent increase in waiting lists.
Speaking on behalf of ASG, Jesús Ramos has announced that he will table amendments, in collaboration with the Regional Ministry, to provide ambulances for Valle Gran Rey and the mid-altitude areas, as well as a mental health unit on La Gomera.
Raúl Acosta, of the ‚Mixto por AHI‘ group, has called for continued efforts to reduce the number of patients from El Hierro who have to travel to Tenerife for consultations with specialists, and to make progress in the areas of telemedicine and coordination between the Virgen de los Reyes and Nuestra Señora de La Candelaria hospitals.
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