Tenerife South Healthcare Crisis Prompts Ombudsman Intervention

The healthcare gap in southern Tenerife is back in the spotlight following a meeting between the Pro-Public Hospital of the South and Southwest Platform and the Ombudsman, Lola Padrón. The platform, which describes the issue as a chronic problem, met with the Ombudsman to demand urgent action to ensure fair access to medical care for local residents.

The core issue is that current facilities cannot handle the area's growing population. Jordi Esplugas, president of the platform, explained that the combination of a rising number of permanent residents and the heavy influx of tourists is overwhelming emergency services and leaving too few hospital beds available. This saturation forces many patients to be transferred to other hospitals, which is inconvenient for locals and goes against the goal of providing care close to home.

The Ombudsman’s office agrees that this is a structural issue rather than just a management problem. Padrón emphasized that healthcare planning must go beyond paperwork and result in real improvements to staffing and medical resources. She also noted that a shortage of social-care facilities is creating a bottleneck, preventing patients from being discharged and further straining hospital operations.

While the Ombudsman does not have the power to change healthcare policy directly, she has committed to monitoring the situation and pushing the Canary Islands government to act. The goal is to move past empty promises and secure a clear investment plan. This would provide the south and southwest of Tenerife with the facilities needed to treat patients locally, ensuring that where someone lives does not prevent them from receiving the care they need.