What is the CAE of La Lajita?

A specialist care centre (Centro de Atención Especializada) planned in La Lajita, in the municipality of Pájara, to bring specialty consultations and units closer to the south of Fuerteventura.

The project is around 16,300 m², with nearly 11,000 usable and 3,800 reserved for a future expansion, across three blocks, according to La Voz de Fuerteventura; the SCS tender set a minimum of 16,000 m².

What services will it offer?

Specialty consultations, nursing and midwifery, mental health, early care, rehabilitation and pain, day hospital, dialysis, major outpatient surgery, imaging, laboratory, blood bank and HADO, according to the SCS.

How much does it cost?

The project drafting was awarded for 464,911.68 € (IGIC included), according to the Government of the Canary Islands; the cost of the works has not yet been made public.

FUERTEVENTURA · HEALTH

La Lajita's future specialist care centre (CAE) moves forward

The Canary Health Service (Servicio Canario de la Salud, SCS) is moving ahead with the project for the future specialist care centre (Centro de Atención Especializada, CAE) in La Lajita, in the municipality of Pájara — a facility of about 16,300 square metres intended to bring specialised care closer to the south of Fuerteventura.

13 August 2026 · By Lucía Medina Reyes · 5 min · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief

Photo: Zarateman, CC0 (Symbolbild).

The new centre would bring together specialist outpatient consultations and units such as mental health, rehabilitation or dialysis, plus a day hospital, so that many patients in the south of the island no longer have to travel to Fuerteventura's reference hospital for tests and check-ups.

What is planned

The project envisages a total surface of about 16,300 square metres, of which nearly 11,000 would be usable floor space, according to La Voz de Fuerteventura. The design also reserves some 3,800 square metres for a future expansion of the emergency and inpatient areas, so that the centre can grow over time.

The building would be organised into three interconnected blocks. The tender through which the SCS awarded the project drafting required a minimum surface of 16,000 square metres, according to information released by the Government of the Canary Islands.

The services it will bring

According to SCS documentation, the CAE would include an outpatient consultation area with 22 medical specialty consulting rooms, 11 nursing and midwifery rooms and 5 treatment rooms. It would also house units for Mental Health, Early Care, Rehabilitation and Pain Treatment.

The project also foresees a general day hospital, a dialysis unit, a major outpatient surgery area, diagnostic imaging, a general laboratory, a blood bank and the Home Hospitalisation Service (Hospitalización a Domicilio, HADO), according to the Government of the Canary Islands. Dialysis in the south is among the services most demanded by residents.

Why La Lajita

The choice of La Lajita as the site stems from a 2019 accessibility study that assessed travel times from the various points of the south, the connection to the main road and the availability of land, according to La Voz de Fuerteventura.

The project has been championed for years by residents' groups and by the party Asamblea Majorera–Coalición Canaria, as well as by the Pájara Town Council, which see the centre as a key piece in balancing healthcare services between the north and the south of the island.

Timeline and cost

The SCS Directorate-General for Economic Resources awarded the project drafting for 464,911.68 euros, including the IGIC tax, split into 185,964.67 euros in 2026 and 278,947.01 euros in 2027, according to the Government of the Canary Islands. That figure covers the drafting of the project, not the cost of the works, which has not yet been made public.

With the project under way, the works could go to tender between March and April 2027, according to La Voz de Fuerteventura. For now, there is no confirmed opening date.

Why it matters

Specialised care in Fuerteventura is currently concentrated around Puerto del Rosario, forcing many patients in the south into long journeys for consultations and tests. A CAE in La Lajita would bring those services closer to municipalities such as Pájara, and is expected to help ease pressure on the island's reference hospital, according to the forecasts reported by La Voz de Fuerteventura.

The Pájara Town Council welcomes the progress. "Our residents deserve every possible service, and healthcare, as a fundamental pillar, is one of the main ones," said the mayor, Alejandro Jorge. The first deputy mayor, Alexis Alonso, stressed that with this facility "Fuerteventura will be the first non-capital island to have a second hospital, located in our municipality." It is worth noting that a CAE is an outpatient specialist care centre, even though the project reserves space for a future expansion.

Who benefits?
The future CAE aims to bring specialised care closer to the south of Fuerteventura: consultations, rehabilitation, mental health, dialysis or outpatient surgery without having to travel to the reference hospital.
In the meantime, your local health centre remains the entry point to the system and the one that refers patients to specialists.

A project in its early stages.
For now, only the drafting of the project has been awarded; the works have not yet gone to tender and there is no confirmed opening date.
The figures on surface area and services come from the SCS, the Government of the Canary Islands and La Voz de Fuerteventura, and may be adjusted during the design and construction phases.

Key facts

Surface: project of about 16,300 m², with nearly 11,000 m² usable and 3,800 m² reserved for a future expansion (La Voz de Fuerteventura).
Structure: three interconnected blocks; the SCS tender required a minimum of 16,000 m² (Government of the Canary Islands).
Consultations: 22 specialty rooms, 11 for nursing and midwifery and 5 treatment rooms (SCS).
Units: mental health, early care, rehabilitation and pain, day hospital, dialysis, major outpatient surgery, imaging, laboratory, blood bank and HADO (SCS).
Project drafting awarded for 464,911.68 € (IGIC incl.): 185,964.67 € in 2026 and 278,947.01 € in 2027 (Government of the Canary Islands).
Works: tender expected between March and April 2027; no confirmed opening date (La Voz de Fuerteventura).

FAQ

What is the CAE of La Lajita?: A specialist care centre (Centro de Atención Especializada) planned in La Lajita, in the municipality of Pájara, to bring specialty consultations and units closer to the south of Fuerteventura.
How big will it be?: The project is around 16,300 m², with nearly 11,000 usable and 3,800 reserved for a future expansion, across three blocks, according to La Voz de Fuerteventura; the SCS tender set a minimum of 16,000 m².
What services will it offer?: Specialty consultations, nursing and midwifery, mental health, early care, rehabilitation and pain, day hospital, dialysis, major outpatient surgery, imaging, laboratory, blood bank and HADO, according to the SCS.
When will it be built?: The drafting of the project has already been awarded; the works could go to tender between March and April 2027, according to La Voz de Fuerteventura. There is no confirmed opening date.
How much does it cost?: The project drafting was awarded for 464,911.68 € (IGIC included), according to the Government of the Canary Islands; the cost of the works has not yet been made public.

Read on

CITA News on WhatsAppFollow the channel and keep up with the islands.Follow