Health policy forum debates territorial inequality in Spain

The second edition of the forum on health policy and the state of autonomous communities is being held at the Universidad Internacional Menéndez Pelayo (UIMP). The event brings together experts and representatives from various Spanish autonomous communities to debate whether territorial differences in healthcare constitute legitimate diversity or unjustified inequality.

A central theme of the discussion is the sustainability of universal healthcare within the framework of competencies transferred to autonomous regions. Participants are analyzing the capacity of the current model to maintain universal coverage and address the challenges of territorial fragmentation.

During the forum, Esther Monzón, the Health Minister for the Canary Islands, highlighted technological measures being implemented by the Servicio Canario de la Salud (SCS) to mitigate the challenges of insularity. These include the implementation of a Unified Clinical History Viewer and progress toward full interoperability with a Single Electronic Clinical History, a project expected to be completed by 2031.

Additionally, Monzón detailed a strategic investment in cancer care for the Canary Islands. This includes an investment exceeding 40 million euros to provide cyclotrons and proton therapy, aiming to reduce the islands' dependence on mainland Spain for the isotopes required for PET scans.