Marie Dolores Corujo, Secretary General of the PSOE in Lanzarote, alongside Miguel Ángel Pérez del Pino, the party’s spokesperson for Health, has condemned what they describe as the “serious deterioration” of public healthcare on the island. Their comments followed a press conference where they addressed escalating issues affecting the island’s healthcare system, including increasing waiting lists, heightened pressure on staff, and ongoing reliance on private facilities.
Corujo highlighted that Lanzarote currently has the longest patient waiting lists in the Canary Islands, with 4,754 individuals waiting for specialist consultations as of June 30, 2026; this marks a 70.3% increase from the previous year. The surgical waiting list has also surged, with 1,866 patients awaiting procedures—up 17.5% from June 2025 and the highest since 2019.
These figures starkly contrast with the previous legislative period from 2019 to 2023 when the surgical waiting list saw a nearly 15% reduction, despite the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. Corujo noted achievements in expanding services, including the introduction of radiotherapy and mental health services in primary care.
Furthermore, Corujo expressed concern over patients being referred to private centres in Fuerteventura and Maspalomas for surgery, which places additional burdens on them and their families. She also called out plans by the Canary Health Service to rent a private clinic in Costa Teguise for outpatient services, indicating that public infrastructure is being neglected in favour of private solutions.
Adding to the crisis, Corujo pointed out the excessive strain on healthcare workers due to staffing shortages, leading five unions to demand the resignation of the manager at Hospital Molina Orosa.
The discussion also turned to stalled health centres in Playa Honda and Argana, with Corujo accusing Oswaldo Betancort of failing to advocate for these projects. She revealed that the site for Playa Honda’s health centre had already been allocated but faced renewed scrutiny after Betancort questioned its purpose in the Canarian parliament.
Corujo emphasised the future of the Insular Hospital as a major concern for the PSOE. She claimed that both Betancort and Fernando Clavijo risk jeopardising the island’s only geriatric hospital, which had plans for modernisation that have since been neglected.
She questioned the legitimacy of claims regarding the hospital’s urgent hazards, noting that no actions have been taken to move patients, and called for clear plans from the government regarding the hospital’s fate, asserting that the PSOE will defend its role as a public geriatric facility. “We will not allow any changes to the only geriatric hospital in the Canary Islands,” she concluded.
