Canary Islands' Health Service Declares Urgent Staff Stabilization Efforts

The Canary Islands' Health Service (Servicio Canario de la Salud) has officially declared an urgent status for its ongoing staff stabilization efforts, affecting over 12,000 healthcare and administrative job positions.

Context and Purpose

The move comes amid delays in completing these hiring procedures, which are part of Spain's broader push to reduce temporary employment in the public sector, mandated by Law 20/2021. By declaring urgency, authorities aim to cut bureaucratic delays in half, allowing faster processing of applications, appeals, and documentation from candidates.

"Declaring urgency allows the health department to proceed more swiftly, helping to stabilize employment and strengthen healthcare services for residents."

Details of the Measure

This measure is critical for public health staffing, ensuring vital vacancies are filled promptly. The process involves three types of selection systems:

• merit-based contests
• stabilization contests
• regular public exams

It covers a wide range of medical and management positions across the health sector.

Response and Significance

The decision responds to the enormous volume of applications and the complexity of managing so many categories, which has slowed progress. Declaring urgency allows the health department to proceed more swiftly, helping to stabilize employment and strengthen healthcare services for residents.

The move underscores the government’s commitment to:

• improving public health staffing
• reducing uncertainty for thousands of health workers waiting for job security