These codes facilitate the identification and differentiated treatment for patients with conditions such as dementia, severe intellectual disability, autism spectrum disorder, chronic mental disorder, deafblindness, or cerebral palsy, thereby improving their healthcare in the archipelago's public centers.
The current figure represents a 90.4 percent increase since February 2024, when 20,983 cards had been issued. The measure aims to ensure quality healthcare tailored to the specific needs of these users.
The 'AA' codes include information on communication difficulties, social interaction challenges, sensory hypersensitivity, anxiety, or cognitive deficits, enabling the implementation of facilitating measures during waiting periods and accompaniment to reduce the negative emotional impact on the patient.
Healthcare professionals in assistance units, including consultations and emergencies, minimize waiting times, ensure accompaniment, and coordinate appointments to reduce patient stays in the healthcare facility. In emergency services, priority is given to timely attention and accompaniment.
The process to obtain an 'AA' code involves a report from a Primary Care physician, followed by the update of the health card at the corresponding health center.
Additionally, the SCS has implemented other actions to enhance communication with people with disabilities, such as distributing 350 pictogram booklets and training 130 professionals in Augmentative and Alternative Communication Systems (SAAC).
Forty-nine magnetic induction loops have been installed in health centers for individuals with hearing impairments, distributed across Gran Canaria (17), Tenerife (16), Fuerteventura (10), Lanzarote (2), La Palma (2), La Gomera (1), and El Hierro (1).
The Charter of Rights and Duties of Patients and Users of the Canary Islands Health System has been published in nine languages, in Braille, and in sign language, with specific signage and QR codes to facilitate access to the document.
The SCS also offers care programs such as neonatal screening for rare diseases, the Protocol for Hereditary Retinal Dystrophies (DRH) in the Canary Islands, the Neurodegenerative Diseases Strategy, and the Canary Islands Rare Diseases Strategy 2023-2026.
