Fuerteventura eliminates disability and dependency waiting list

The Canary Islands’ Ministry of Social Welfare presented the first multisectoral diagnosis of Social Services in the archipelago and stressed that applications for disability and dependency on the non‑capital islands are now being resolved within the six‑month legal deadline.

End of Waiting Lists

Candelaria Delgado, the Councilor for Social Welfare, Equality, Youth, Childhood and Families of the Canary Islands Government, took part on Monday in a conference in Fuerteventura titled “Social Services in the Canary Islands: Current Situation and Future Perspectives.” About fifty professionals and stakeholders from the island’s social sector attended.

Delgado highlighted that Fuerteventura, like the other non‑capital islands, “no longer has waiting lists for Disability or Dependency,” thanks to a series of actions aimed at modernising and adapting the services to 21st‑century citizens’ needs.

She added that both disability and dependency requests are now being resolved within the six‑month legal time‑frame, which the Ministry technically interprets as a null waiting list.

First Multisectoral Diagnosis of Social Services

The councilor recalled that the first multisectoral diagnosis of the portfolio was carried out through a collaboration agreement with the University of La Laguna, gathering the opinions and assessments of nearly 1,000 individuals—users, professionals and experts.

The study, recently approved by the Government Council under the title “Diagnosis and Multisectoral Analysis of the Situation and State of Social Services in the Canary Islands,” is a prerequisite for the upcoming Strategic Plan for Social Services.

“It is the first time the Canary Islands have a tool like this—a milestone that will bring us closer to the reality of the public social‑services system across the entire autonomous territory. It provides data on perception and valuation of the system, the demands and satisfaction levels of users, the coordination of services, and the technical work climate,” explained Councilor Delgado.

Victor Alonso, the island’s Social Action Councilor, thanked Delgado for bringing the debate to Fuerteventura and recognised the work of all the people, professionals, entities and collectives that operate year‑round in the social field.

Challenges and Future Directions

Accompanied by Juan Martínez Doreste, Vice‑Councilor for Equality and Diversity, Delgado addressed the “challenges we face in a context where health and other sectors have modernised, while social services remain detached from reality.”

Doreste stressed that the goal must be to improve citizen care by making the system more integrated and holistic. He explained that the Ministry has mobilised all available resources—including own funds and European Union funds—to deploy artificial intelligence, robotics and other technologies, which have already reduced bureaucracy and shortened response times.

Key proposals from the diagnosis

• Improve coordination with other social‑protection systems to lower access barriers.
• Modernise internal organisation and management processes within social services.
• Create a truly integrated system that can view each citizen from a 360° perspective, considering their past and recent history, thereby enabling the administration to make more personalised and effective decisions.

“Our work is precisely focused on making the Canary social‑services system a reality—a more integrated system that allows us to see any citizen from a 360° perspective, with their previous and recent history, facilitating the administration to take more personalized and effective decisions,” said Councilor Delgado.