Fuerteventura Starts Countdown for Medical Helicopter: “Medical Team Ready”

Fuerteventura is preparing for the imminent arrival of a medical helicopter based on the island, a resource that will especially reduce patient‑transfer times from the south. The medical team is already assembled and awaiting the service to become operational before the end of March.

The Medical Helicopter Based in Fuerteventura: A Vital Resource, Especially for the Island’s South

The new medical helicopter, the third in the Canary Islands’ air‑health system, represents a historic milestone for Fuerteventura. Its launch will mark a before‑and‑after in the transfer of critical patients off the island, with the southern zone being “the part of the archipelago that will benefit most from reduced patient‑transfer times.”

The operational base will be on Fuerteventura, and the aircraft will be staffed by personnel from the local health management. Specifically, eight doctors and eight nursing professionals have been selected to form the crew, and they are already undergoing training.

The helicopter will also be equipped with advanced medical gear, including an isolated cabin for neonatal transport, an incubator, and the capability to perform certain laboratory analyses in flight.

“I hope we will soon see that helicopter materialised and flying on our island,” said the Area Health Director, noting that the deadline set by the Canary Islands Government expires next Monday.

The Southern Specialty Care Center (CAE): Four Companies Interested in Drafting the Project

The director also updated on progress for another major health demand on the island: the Specialty Care Center (CAE) planned for the south, in La Lajita. The project is currently in the tender phase for the architectural design. Four firms have submitted offers, and once the contract is awarded, the design team will have roughly six months to develop the building plans.

The health management will provide technical support to accelerate timelines and ensure the project meets care needs. Pérez emphasized that an “effort will be made to deliver a complete project,” integrating all necessary services and circuits from the outset.

The centre will have a minimum functional area of about 16,000 m², making it the island’s largest health infrastructure after the General Hospital of Fuerteventura.

Expanding the Antigua Health Centre to Offer 24‑Hour Emergency Services

The health situation in the municipality of Antigua also featured in the interview, especially after controversy surrounding the activation of a 24‑hour emergency service at the Health Centre and the construction of the Caleta de Fuste clinic.

Pérez explained that establishing a Continuous Care Point (PAC) in Antigua—providing round‑the‑clock emergencies—requires a substantial expansion of the current building. The existing emergency area is roughly 70 m², whereas technical reports indicate that approximately 370 m² are needed to guarantee safe, reliable service.

The Canary Islands Government’s Department of Infrastructure is processing a request to the Antigua City Council for the land required to enlarge the current health facilities and enable the emergency service.

During the interview, the director expressed frustration with the public debate surrounding the issue, noting that the council has publicly demanded the emergency service without using official channels, has switched its request from a health centre to a clinic, and has repeatedly offered land that is affected by the airport’s noise footprint, making construction impossible.

“The Antigua City Council sometimes makes me blush a little,” Pérez remarked, adding that the Canary Health Service aims to re‑map the island’s health network so that Antigua and Betancuria can become independent basic health zones with their own structures.

He also highlighted other ongoing infrastructure projects: the planned works at the General Hospital of Fuerteventura (new units and care spaces), the Corralejo II Health Centre (currently in the tender phase), and the future El Matorral health centre, for which a geotechnical study of the site has already been commissioned—a prerequisite for drafting the architectural project and moving toward construction bidding.

Doctors’ Strike and Its Impact on Services and Waiting Lists

Pérez addressed the nationwide doctors’ strike, which lasts a full week and could affect service delivery and waiting lists. He noted that until November the island’s health indicators had been improving, with a steady reduction in waiting times. However, the strike’s cumulative effect is concerning.

“One might think that a day of strike equals one extra day on the waiting list, but that’s not the case; it has a ripple effect,” he explained, referring to the suspension of consultations, surgeries, and tests that later need to be rescheduled.

Despite the disruption, he defended the medical community’s right to protest and called for dialogue to resolve the conflict over the new Health System Framework Statute.

Rising Aggressions Toward Health Personnel, Also in Fuerteventura

The director also acknowledged that the island’s main hospital continues to struggle to fill certain specialties, especially in digestive medicine, rehabilitation, and emergency care. At the same time, he warned of an increase in assaults on health professionals, a growing concern for the system.

In the Canary Islands, around 50 health workers are assaulted each day, with six out of ten victims being doctors or nurses; most aggressors are men, and a quarter are repeat offenders.

“It’s a situation that is growing and severely undermines the professionals’ capacity to work,” he concluded.