Fuerteventura Hospital trains primary care professionals in minor surgery

The General Hospital of Fuerteventura, part of the Canary Islands Health Department, launched a new edition of its minor‑surgery course last week, aimed specifically at primary‑care professionals.

The training employed biological models for hands‑on practice of surgical techniques. Participants worked in a high‑fidelity simulation environment, honing skills such as handling surgical instruments, suturing, draining abscesses, and performing other low‑complexity procedures.

Local anaesthesia application was also covered, with a strong focus on patient safety and clinical best practice, as highlighted in a press release from the regional Health Department.

Organised by the Continuing‑Education Department of the Fuerteventura Health Services Management, the program attracted about fifteen health professionals across two intensive, in‑person sessions. Attendees included family doctors, emergency physicians, nursing staff, as well as resident doctors and nurses (MIR and EIR) from the health centres of Puerto del Rosario I, Puerto del Rosario II, Antigua (all within the Puerto del Rosario Basic Health Zone), and the Gran Tarajal centre in the Tuineje‑Pájara zone.

The course aims to update referral protocols for minor‑surgery consultations in primary care, expand technical competencies, improve the aesthetic outcomes of procedures, and promote patient safety.

Key topics also covered bioethics and informed consent, and participants deepened their knowledge of the most common pathologies treated at the first level of care.

Since 2012, these minor‑surgery interventions have been performed in the island’s health centres, helping to relieve pressure on the Surgery and Dermatology services of the General Hospital of Fuerteventura.

The training was delivered by family physicians Lilian Llopiz and José Manuel Toscano, who are preparing the next edition of the course for health professionals in the island’s southern region, scheduled for October.