Carlos Díaz resigned as director of the Canary Health Service (SCS) on 23 July, citing “personal reasons”. This Thursday, just one month after leaving his post, he has secured a position as a senior qualified technician in the Management Directorate of the Hospital de Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria in Tenerife.
His new role, which pertains to the area of specialised care, is detailed in a resolution accessed by Atlántico Hoy. Díaz was involved in a public employment offer (OPE) —which he was eligible for due to his economics degree— that attracted some criticism for being both a judge and a participant in the process while he was head of the SCS.
Selection Process
The document awarding him the position —signed by José Ángel González, the general director of Human Resources at the public body— states that this is an exceptional stabilisation process for long-term temporary employment. It is, however, within the quota of vacant positions.
Notably, the position is also part of a merit-based competition. It is worth highlighting that Díaz has achieved the post within the ADE / Group A1 category, which relates to management and services.
Timeline
The deadline for submitting merits began in August 2024 and concluded in September. After this period, the economist was able to check the provisional results of the merit phase on 14 February this year, with the advertised positions being made public on 4 July, just two weeks before he resigned from his role.
During his two-year tenure as director of the SCS, alongside negotiations with trade unions, he aimed to implement a more robust data processor to unify patient information from the Canary Islands with data from the rest of the country.
Waiting Lists
This is a procedure that, as reported by this newspaper, was tendered via the State Procurement Platform. Reducing waiting lists has also been among his priorities, achieving, for instance, a reduction in surgery wait times by nearly a month, now standing at 122 days.
He noted that “the key to managing the waiting list is to intervene with the patient as promptly as possible”, stressing the importance of avoiding delays in the established planning.
The Controversy
One of the main controversies surrounding him was, indeed, his decision to apply for the public employment offer while serving as director of the SCS. This incompatibility related to his responsibilities in planning the agreements concerning the process.
Opposition groups called on him on three occasions to answer questions on this matter during the health committee, yet he failed to attend each time.
