SCS Boosts Minor Surgery Training in Fuerteventura to Strengthen Primary Care

The Canary Health Service (SCS) has launched a new training program in minor surgery on Fuerteventura, aimed at primary‑care professionals. The initiative seeks to improve clinical practice and enhance the problem‑solving capacity of the first level of care.

The course, held last week at the General Hospital of Fuerteventura, incorporated biological models for hands‑on practice of surgical techniques, allowing participants to train in a high‑fidelity simulation environment.

A fortnight‑long cohort of health‑care workers took part in the program, organized by the Continuing Education Department of the Fuerteventura Health Services Management. Attendees included family doctors, nursing staff, emergency physicians, and residents (MIR and EIR) from health centres in Puerto del Rosario, Antigua, and Gran Tarajal.

During the predominantly practical sessions, participants worked on:

• Handling of surgical instruments
• Performing sutures
• Managing abscesses and drains
• Applying local anaesthesia

All activities were conducted with a strong focus on patient safety.

The training also covered:

• Updated referral protocols to minor‑surgery consultations
• Bio‑ethical considerations, informed consent, and the management of pathologies that can be treated within primary care

These interventions, first introduced in the island’s health centres in 2012, help reduce the workload on hospital services such as Surgery and Dermatology, promoting faster and more patient‑centred care.

The course was taught by family physicians Lilian Llopiz and José Manuel Toscano, who are already preparing a new edition for health‑care professionals in the southern part of the island, scheduled for October.