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

On Tenerife, services stayed largely normal on Monday 9 November, according to the authorities. In the morning shift only 38 of 1,926 affected staff walked out, or 1.97%, says the Consejería de Sanidad (the Canary Islands health ministry).

The ministry reports no significant incidents at centres of the Canary health service SCS. Across the islands, 1,526 staff were assigned to minimum services to keep care running.

Visitors who need urgent help on Tenerife can expect care to continue, going by these figures. The source says nothing about individual centres in the south or about specific appointments.

Earlier strikes postponed appointments and operations, but Sanidad gave no figure for 9 November. No official guidance has been published on informing or rebooking patients, so ask your health centre directly if you have an appointment.

How many doctors are striking on each island?

Gran Canaria had the highest turnout at 8.55%, with 118 of 1,380 affected staff. That means 118 of the 160 strikers across the archipelago came from this one island.

On Tenerife, 38 of 1,926 walked out, or 1.97%. Most staff covered by the strike call work here, yet turnout is only the second highest.

On Lanzarote one person out of 215 struck (0.47%), and on Fuerteventura one out of 312 (0.32%). La Palma saw two out of 156, or 1.28%.

Nobody took part on La Gomera or El Hierro, Sanidad said. Of 7,261 staff called up, 3,851 were affected by the strike call, and 160 of them struck.

How has turnout changed since October?

On 19 October, the start of the open-ended strike, Sanidad reported 9.34% across the islands, or 363 of 3,888 affected staff. On Tenerife it was 4.65% then, or 86 of 1,848.

On 23 October the rate fell to 8.17% according to Sanidad, and to 3.87% on Tenerife (72 of 1,862). The 9 November figure of 4.15% is well below both October readings.

The unions count differently from the ministry: on 22 June Sanidad put turnout at 7.8%, while the doctors' union CESM Canarias said 39%. No union figure for 9 November is available.

On 17 March Sanidad reported 12.35%, and on 25 May 6.3%. That puts the 9 November figure below every other value cited for 2026.

What are the striking doctors demanding?

The dispute centres on the Estatuto Marco, the planned framework statute for public health staff. The Council of Ministers has approved the draft, which now sits in the Congreso, the Spanish parliament, and is meant to replace rules from 2003.

The health ministry in Madrid lists improvements, such as on-call shifts (guardias) of 17 instead of 24 hours and a maximum of 45 hours a week. The doctors' unions want a separate statute for doctors and their own negotiating table.

The Canary Islands government says it has no power to apply the statute. Sanidad and the SCS decide only regional matters, such as guardia pay, hiring and working conditions.

On 17 June the SCS offered to raise the lowest guardia hourly rates by 20%, from €23.90 to between €27 and €28. The unions examined the offer, and the strike went on.

What is still unclear?

The available information does not confirm whether the strike continues beyond 9 November. Sanidad's statement does not say which unions are behind it.

Reports from 23 October expect a new meeting but give no date, and regional elections are set for May 2027. Pressure could shift to the Canarian Parliament and the 2027 budget, which must be debated before the end of the year.

The SCS gave no cost for the 17 June offer, which would be paid from the regional budget. No statement from the Canary health minister is available.