SMS Appointment System Goes Live Today at Fuerteventura General Hospital

With this tool, the Majorero hospital reminds patients of appointments via text message and offers the possibility to confirm, cancel or change the proposed date if they cannot attend

The director of the Canary Islands Health Service (SCS), Adasat Goya, held a meeting on Tuesday with the director of the Fuerteventura Health Area, Tomás Pérez, and the manager of the island’s Health Services, María Luisa Naranjo. The discussion focused on the launch of a project that will allow the General Hospital of Fuerteventura to communicate interactively with its patients via SMS to manage specialist‑doctor appointments.

The reminder‑manager system is an interactive SMS‑based communication platform that redirects the user to a simple application. Through this app, patients can confirm, cancel, or request a new date for their appointment if they are unable to attend.

• Patients receive the SMS ten days before the scheduled visit.
• The message contains a personalized link that displays the appointment’s location, service, and time, together with options to confirm, cancel, or reschedule.
• The system was developed by the SCS in collaboration with the 012 Information and Telephone Assistance Service, marking the first time patients can interact with the hospital’s appointment system in this way.

“This new tool improves communication between the Majorero hospital and its users and allows us to optimise outpatient activity, because cancelled appointments can be re‑scheduled and we can avoid empty slots caused by no‑shows,” Goya emphasized.

Pilot Phase

The pilot began in May at the University Hospital Nuestra Señora de Candelaria in Tenerife and the University Hospital of La Palma. It has also been rolled out in the Health Services of La Gomera and the Insular‑Materno‑Infantil University Hospital Complex. The system will be extended gradually to Islands hospitals, enhancing appointment management and patient access to specialist care.

The application replaces various ad‑hoc solutions previously used by individual centres, providing a uniform tool for every hospital and ensuring equal access for patients regardless of their reference hospital.

Telephone Support

If a patient does not respond to the SMS, the reminder system triggers a telephone‑call protocol. An operator will call the patient to confirm, cancel, or request a change of the appointment, maximising the chance of contact. Patients without mobile phones will receive the same call on their landline.

Access to the Service

Patients must keep their health‑card data up to date to use the SMS system.

Participation of the 012 Service

The project is carried out in partnership with the 012 Information and Telephone Assistance Service of the Government of the Canary Islands. The 012 team will also provide information and guidance on the new service, having reinforced its staff with more than 400 professionals.