Tenerife South Demands Urgent Hospital Expansion Amid "Health Emergency"

Frustration is growing in the south of Tenerife over the "unacceptable delays" in expanding the local public hospital, which is "urgently needed." A local group, formed 30 years ago to push for a proper health center in the area, began meeting with community and business leaders yesterday. Their goal is to organize a protest front because the Canary Islands Government continues to drag its feet. Two and a half years ago, the government promised to design a project for an additional building to expand the hospital, but little progress has been made.

The Platform for a Public Hospital in the South's demands were supported yesterday by the Circle of Businesspeople of Southern Tenerife (CEST). Its president, Javier Cabrera, called this latest delay a "collective humiliation for citizens." He also said it was "shameful and unacceptable" that after 30 years, there's still no fully working public hospital, declaring the south of the island to be in a "health emergency."

CEST believes the healthcare situation in the south is "critical" and sees the hospital as a "symbol of broken promises" for the area. Cabrera stated, "This problem doesn't exist anywhere else and shows discriminatory treatment towards the South by the region's health authorities."

Cabrera reminded everyone that the hospital's planned annex, which is currently just a concrete shell, has been stalled since 2011. He called it a "monstrosity of shame," an abandoned building that serves as a daily reminder of how public authorities have failed to meet a basic need for the community.

Both the business community and the citizen platform yesterday urged the Canary Islands Government to stop making excuses and "finally get" the El Mojón hospital "up and running." They warned they would "fight this battle" until health authorities "understand and fix" this problem.

CEST and the citizen platform believe the Health Ministry's "inaction" has left the current hospital "completely overwhelmed." They stress there's no room to expand services and point out that healthcare staff work in "extreme conditions," even sharing lockers because the facilities are so overcrowded.

Representatives from both groups added that this situation "compromises the quality of care and poses a real risk to patients and professionals, who are working at their absolute limit."

Javier Cabrera stated, "No region can aim to be a leader in tourism, investment, or quality of life – as will be promoted next week at Fitur – without healthcare infrastructure that matches its needs." This view is shared by the platform's spokesperson, Jordi Esplugas, who warned: "The people of the South have had enough. Our patience has run out. Either the Government acts immediately, or we will be forced to take more extreme measures."