These new facilities bring the public service closer to the population of this area and strengthen citizen support in response to the increased demand for MAV applications. The collaboration of the Primary Care Management of Tenerife of the Canary Health Service (SCS) has been key to opening these locations, which are staffed by trained and authorized personnel for these functions.
The expansion in Tenerife seeks to promote respect for patient autonomy and rights, ensuring that their wishes regarding care and medical treatments are registered. This reinforces the care network, responding to the rise in applications in the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, where the MAV staff's workload has tripled compared to previous years.
Part of this increase is due to the training and outreach activities carried out by the MAV Registry staff among healthcare and non-healthcare personnel, as well as with patient associations and institutions. These new points are in addition to the four already existing in the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife (in the capital, Breña Baja, Los Llanos de Aridane in La Palma, and El Hierro), with plans to open more in La Gomera and northern Tenerife.
The primary function of MAVs is for individuals to formally record their preferences and instructions regarding healthcare and medical treatments, ensuring they are respected when they are unable to express them personally. They also allow for the designation of trusted persons to act as representatives.
In 2025, the Ministry of Health registered 4,611 MAVs, a 26.6% increase from 2024 (3,642). Of these, 63.87% were made by women. Currently, there are 29,095 active MAVs in the Canary Islands.
Advance Care Directives can be made in three ways: before authorized public officials (by appointment via phone 012), before any notary in the Notarial College of the Canary Islands (free of charge with a notarization authorization), or before three witnesses (adults not related to the applicant).
