The Health Councillor, Esther Monzón, announced in Parliament that Valsequillo will have a 24-hour SUC ambulance base, which will reduce response times in the midlands and peaks of eastern Gran Canaria.
The Canarian Emergency Service (SUC) will install a permanent ambulance base in Valsequillo, as announced this Wednesday by the Health Councillor of the Government of the Canary Islands, Esther Monzón, during the regional Parliament session. The measure aims to reduce response times for emergencies occurring in the midlands and peaks of eastern Gran Canaria, an area with complex topography and a dispersed population.
A 24-hour ambulance for the midlands
Monzón explained that the new resource will be operational 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and will have a direct impact on emergency care in Valsequillo, as well as in the high areas of Telde, Vega de San Mateo, Santa Brígida, and nearby population centres. It will also improve coverage on the road corridors connecting these localities with the rest of the island.
Currently, to respond to any incident in the midlands and peaks of Gran Canaria, resources must be dispatched from other operational bases, which prolongs arrival times. With this new base, SUC will be able to shorten response times and enhance its reaction capacity, especially in the event of simultaneous emergencies on the island.
The councillor emphasised that the decision is based on strictly technical and healthcare criteria, not political reasons. "This is about strengthening coverage in an area with topographical characteristics and population dispersion that particularly recommend the presence of a 24-hour ambulance," Monzón stated.
"This measure will have a direct impact on emergency care in the high areas of Telde, Vega de San Mateo, Santa Brígida, and nearby population centres, as well as on the road corridors connecting these localities with the rest of the island," the councillor explained.
Staffing and timelines
To launch this new resource, a staffing of between eight and ten professionals is needed, a figure that may vary depending on the working conditions established in the new Collective Agreement for the sector and the contract that is ultimately signed. The councillor did not specify a concrete date for the start of operations but confirmed that the procedures are already underway.
The permanent ambulance base in Valsequillo will represent a significant relief for the residents of the midlands, who until now depended on ambulances dispatched from other localities, with delays sometimes exceeding 30 minutes. With the new resource, it is expected that response times will be significantly reduced, which can be crucial in cases of cardiac arrests, traffic accidents, or paediatric emergencies.
The measure has been well received by the mayors of the region, who have been calling for an improvement in healthcare coverage in the area for years. The mayor of Valsequillo, Francisco Atta, celebrated the announcement and recalled that "it is a historic demand from the residents, who have seen how the ambulance often took too long to arrive."
A further step in improving rural healthcare
This new base adds to other initiatives by the Government of the Canary Islands to strengthen healthcare in rural and midland areas, where population dispersion and topography hinder coverage. In recent years, SUC has installed permanent bases in other municipalities on the island, such as Tejeda and San Bartolomé de Tirajana, with positive results in reducing response times.
For residents in the peaks of eastern Gran Canaria, the arrival of this ambulance represents a radical change in their daily lives. "Before, if something happened to you, you had to wait for an ambulance from Telde or Santa Brígida, and that could take an eternity. Now, with the base here, the peace of mind is different," commented a resident of Valsequillo.
Councillor Monzón also mentioned that the possibility of expanding coverage with more resources in other areas of the island is being studied, although she did not provide further details. For now, the residents of Valsequillo and its region can breathe a little easier: the ambulance will be there, 24 hours a day, ready to respond at the first call.
The establishment of the base will depend on the completion of administrative procedures and the hiring of the necessary staff, something the Government of the Canary Islands hopes to expedite as much as possible. In the meantime, SUC maintains its current network of bases, while keeping an eye on making the Valsequillo base a reality soon.
