The controversy surrounding the situation in the Emergency Services of the University Hospital of the Canary Islands (HUC) continues. While unions and some citizen testimonies warn of patients on stretchers in the hallways, the hospital's medical management denies a collapse and defends the effectiveness of its restructuring protocols.
The medical director of HUC, José Antonio Dopico, has described the data provided by the unions as "rigorously false," asserting that images of saturated hallways are "archive material" from before June 2025. According to Dopico, at 9:30 AM on June 1st, there were only 11 patients awaiting assessment, with a 51-minute delay and empty waiting rooms.
For her part, the delegate of Intersindical Canaria, Cati Darias, has sent recent images showing stretchers in the hallways, albeit with curtains for privacy. Darias criticizes that the waiting times mentioned by management are not the general norm and are usually "much higher."
“"My father has been on a stretcher in the hallway since Sunday"
A listener, Anabel, has expressed her indignation, stating that her 82-year-old father has been on a hallway stretcher at HUC since last Sunday. She confirms the presence of stretchers on both sides of the hallway, though not in double rows, and points out that the hallways remain occupied by more stretchers coming and going.
The Deputy Ombudsman and physician, Antonio Alarcó, has expressed concern about the situation, giving credibility to union complaints. "What is happening is worrying, and more staff must certainly be incorporated," he stated, adding that "there must be zero people" living on chairs in the Emergency area.
The HUC Management has issued a statement acknowledging that the Emergency Service facilities have been "limited in space for many years." They highlight an investment of two million euros in the past year to improve care and the implementation of new circuits and protocols that, they claim, "are yielding good results" despite "high care demand" and "insufficient space."
The statement details that HUC Emergencies attend an average of 228 patients per day in May, with a staff of over 55 doctors. They assure that patients are attended "correctly, although not always with the desired comfort criteria," and that the actions taken have led to improvements, while reminding that space is limited.
