Tenerife Families Protest as Specialist Shortage Disrupts Child Mental Health Services

Child and adolescent mental health care in northern Tenerife has reached a breaking point, according to Diario de Avisos. A vacant psychiatry position at the Specialized Care Center (CAE) in La Orotava has left dozens of families without essential support for children with neurodevelopmental disorders.

The Hospital Universitario de Canarias (HUC) claims it cannot fill the position due to a shortage of specialists. To compensate, the hospital has moved all consultations to La Laguna, offering afternoon appointments. However, the advocacy group Visión Azul Autismo argues this is an inadequate solution that fails to address the needs of patients.

For many families, the change is more than just an inconvenience; it is a safety risk. Parents warn that traveling long distances with a child experiencing a behavioral or sensory crisis is dangerous, especially when a single parent is driving. These families are calling for the return of a dedicated psychiatrist to the La Orotava center to restore the stable care they previously relied on.

The disruption is having a severe ripple effect. Without consistent follow-ups, children are missing out on medication reviews and updated medical reports. These reports are vital for accessing school scholarships and support for students with special educational needs. Because there is no stable care, many families are forced to rely on emergency services, which only provides temporary relief rather than the long-term, consistent treatment these children require.

This situation highlights a deeper issue within the regional health system: a lack of specialists is creating an inequality for those living outside major urban centers. While health officials look for ways to fill the vacancy, families insist that children’s mental health should not depend on staffing shortages. They are calling for better planning to ensure that consistent care is treated as a fundamental right.