Canary Islands plan first healthcare budget above 5 billion euros

The President of the Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijo, announced on Tuesday that the 2027 regional budget will, for the first time, allocate more than 5,000 million euros to healthcare, with a 10 per cent increase in education and a 10 per cent increase in social policies.

Clavijo outlined these budget allocations during a plenary session of the Parliament in response to the spokesperson for the Socialist Group, Sebastián Franquis, who had questioned the regional government’s priorities and criticised the legislature’s failure on housing, as well as the deterioration of the health service and levels of poverty and social exclusion.

The president has stated that the 2027 budget will be «the highest in the history of the autonomous community and also the most socially-oriented», and has argued that it will be geared towards families and the public services that underpin the welfare state in the Canary Islands.

Canary Islands budget boosts universities and provides relief for the disadvantaged

He also announced that the Government plans to improve funding for the two public universities in the Canary Islands through a programme contract currently being negotiated with their vice-chancellors.

Clavijo has also announced tax breaks to ensure that people from the most disadvantaged sections of society pay less tax.

Socialists criticise housing construction and healthcare provision

For his part, Franquis has criticised the fact that the Canary Islands have lost three years of the legislative term and has highlighted housing as one of the government’s main failures, with a particular impact on young people.

He has also highlighted the deterioration in healthcare, the fact that more than 30 per cent of the population is living in poverty or social exclusion, and structural problems with productivity, despite record levels of employment, tourism and tax revenue.