Hospital Insular cancels operations — blood shortage on Gran Canaria ahead of Semana Santa

It's a situation that repeats itself before every holiday season — but this time it had real consequences: on March 25 and 26, Hospital Universitario Insular de Gran Canaria (Gobierno de Canarias) had to cancel three surgical procedures because blood reserves were insufficient.

The Consejería de Sanidad confirmed the incidents and stated that the situation has since stabilised. But the underlying problem remains: blood donation numbers across the Canary Islands have been declining for five consecutive years.

The numbers tell a clear story

2021 was the record year with 66,554 blood donations across the Canaries. Since then, the trend has been downward: 65,942 (2022), 63,077 (2023), 60,728 (2024), and in 2025 the numbers dropped to 59,106 — falling below the 60,000 threshold for the first time. That represents a decline of over 11 percent in four years.

The problem regularly intensifies before holidays: donors travel, blood banks operate with reduced staff, and demand stays constant. Semana Santa is traditionally one of the most critical periods.

A patient's public appeal

Public attention was drawn to the issue by photographer Nacho González, who was recently operated on at Hospital Insular. In a social media post, he thanked the hospital staff while simultaneously calling on the public to donate blood. His appeal was widely shared.

Where to donate now

The Servicio Canario de Salud (Gobierno de Canarias) has set up an expanded donation programme for Semana Santa:

Requirements: Age 18–65, good health, at least 50 kg body weight, not pregnant. No appointment needed at most locations.

The Directorate for Hemodonación y Hemoterapia emphasised that every single donation counts — blood types O+ and B- are currently in particular demand.