Canary Islands doctors' strike 3 November: 4.9% turnout

What does the strike mean for visitors and residents on Tenerife?

Turnout in the doctors' strike at the Canary Islands health service SCS stands at 4.9% on Tuesday 3 November 2026, according to the Canary Islands government. That is the lowest figure in the official series since October 2025.

Minimum services ensure that anyone needing urgent care is still treated. On 19 October they covered 1,392 staff, and the health authority reported no significant incidents.

Routine appointments and planned operations may still be postponed or cancelled. The centre concerned is supposed to contact affected patients.

If you have an appointment in the coming days, call the centre beforehand to check. Visitors with travel insurance should do the same before heading to a clinic.

Our research found no new rules or deadlines for residents, newcomers or visitors. It also found no official guidance for patients from October.

Who is striking and what do the doctors want?

Two unions are behind the strike: the Sindicato Médico Canario (CESM Canarias) and the Sindicato de Empleados Médicos de Canarias (SEMCA). They called an indefinite walkout that began in mid-October 2026.

The exact start date is unclear, because sources give both 16 and 17 October. According to the strike committee, the action applies on working days only, not at weekends or on public holidays.

At its core, the doctors want more pay, above all for on-call duty (guardias). They also demand guaranteed rest after night shifts, a separate bargaining framework for doctors and conditions that keep them in the public system.

According to Diario de Avisos, shifts should shrink from 24 to 17 hours. The unions also want independent representation on the staff committees.

Their “Plan Estratégico” has three pillars and 18 measures. They accuse the government of treating the points as individual wishes rather than as a fix for old shortfalls.

What is the government offering, and why do the unions say no?

The health authority's offer is worth about 50 million euros, spread over 14 measures. The doctors demand around 150 million euros in total, so the offer covers roughly a third.

According to our research, the hourly rate for on-call duty would rise by about 47%. Health councillor Esther Monzón urged acceptance before the budget closes at the end of the year.

CESM and SEMCA refused because they see vague wording and fear hidden extra work. Union president Eric Álvarez says doctors are exhausted and could move to the private sector, to other regions or abroad.

The UGT union, by contrast, has signed a preliminary agreement with the health authority. CESM and SEMCA said it does not answer their demands.

The unions asked regional president Fernando Clavijo to step into the talks himself. They say SCS director Adasat Goya cannot negotiate effectively.

How reliable is the figure of 4.9%?

The 4.9% comes from a Canary Islands government report on turnout in the SCS Gerencias (the administrative units of the health service). It is unclear whether the figure covers only doctors or all staff, and who did the counting.

Earlier figures show how far apart the counts can be. On 22 June 2026 the health ministry reported 7.8%, while the doctors' union CESM spoke of 39%.

October looked similar: around 17 and 18 October the SCS gave 9.1%, the unions 58%. On 3 October 2025 the official count of 22.7% faced a union claim of 75%.

On Gran Canaria, turnout on 19 October was 18.23% (270 of 1,481), according to the health authority. Lanzarote recorded 3.6%, La Palma 2.41% and Fuerteventura 0.67%, while nobody struck on La Gomera or El Hierro.

For Tenerife, the government reported turnout of 2.17% on 3 November, or 44 of 2,030 doctors. On 19 October the authority put it at 4.65% there, which is 86 of 1,848 doctors.

What does the strike cost, and what is happening in the rest of Spain?

The SCS director puts the toll of 25 strike days in spring 2026 at 45,000 cancelled appointments and about 1,200 postponed or cancelled operations. That dispute concerned the national reform of the Estatuto Marco, the framework statute for health staff.

He put the direct costs at 200 million euros. Another estimate gives more than 57,000 cancelled appointments and about 400 million euros for April to June, but its author remains unknown.

In the rest of Spain, turnout in the national strikes ran at 10% to 25% depending on region, according to Euronews. Andalusia and the Basque Country have reportedly already reached partial deals on on-call duty and pay.

Spanish doctors' unions have also called an indefinite national strike from 28 October 2026. How it overlaps with the Canary Islands strike has not been confirmed.

What happens next?

Our research has not confirmed any talks in November or a new strike date. All that is clear is Monzón's warning that the offer will be hard to get once the year-end budget is closed.

A regional TV headline suggests the unions postponed the strike after elections were called. When that happened, and whether it still applies, could not be established.

Nationally, parliament is debating the Estatuto Marco, which is meant to replace the 2003 rules. Health minister Mónica García offered a cross-party working group and wants a separate doctors' statute built only on the shared framework.