A Strategic Pillar of Canarian Healthcare
In an increasingly demanding healthcare landscape, where technological innovation and clinical efficiency are paramount, the Instituto Médico Tinerfeño S.A. (IMETISA) has established itself as a strategic component of the public health system in the Canaries. This public company of the Tenerife Island Council, under the Innovation department led by councillor Juan José Martínez and managed by Néstor Sánchez, represents a model of how high technology, research, and a public service ethos can converge for the direct benefit of citizens. Part-owned by the Canary Islands Health Service (SCS) and officially recognised as an in-house provider, IMETISA specialises in high-tech medical services, with a particular focus on diagnostic imaging.
Its capacity for high-precision magnetic resonance imaging has strengthened the public system’s response, reducing waiting times, improving diagnostic quality, and enabling faster, more accurate clinical decisions. However, one resource places IMETISA in a unique position within the archipelago’s healthcare map: its multiplace clinical hyperbaric chamber, considered a reference facility in the Canary Islands. This is a highly complex medical infrastructure whose value goes beyond technology to become a key element of safety, care, and knowledge.
A Vital Resource for an Archipelago
The clinical activity linked to this chamber is coordinated with the Hyperbaric Medicine Service of the Hospital Universitario de Canarias, ensuring specialised hospital support for cases that require it. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a hugely relevant therapeutic tool for complex pathologies and emergency situations. In the Canary Islands, its importance takes on an additional dimension due to the archipelago’s geography and the significance of nautical and underwater tourism.
In 2024 alone, the archipelago received over 17.7 million tourists, of which approximately 2.4% went scuba diving—equating to some 426,000 visitors—while more than two million took boat trips or went whale watching. These figures alone explain the need for a fully operational and accessible hyperbaric resource.
Treating Emergencies and Complex Conditions
During 2025, according to the entity’s own data, the IMETISA hyperbaric chamber conducted over 1,600 clinical sessions for patients of Tenerife’s public health service and treated more than 50 accidents, many of them related to diving. Its role also extends to providing medical backup for incidents in strategic sectors such as the oil refinery, potential aeronautical emergencies, or the military sphere. Here, hyperbaric oxygen therapy is indicated for conditions like decompression sickness, arterial gas embolism, or carbon monoxide poisoning, among others.
Beyond urgent care, the unit carries out an intense programme of scheduled treatments. Clinically, the chamber addresses a wide range of indications, including chronic vascular and diabetic ulcers, radiotherapy-induced injuries such as actinic cystitis and proctitis, soft tissue radionecrosis, and radiofibrosis. It also treats pathologies like sudden deafness, osteonecrosis, osteomyelitis, necrotising infections, central retinal artery occlusion, and decompression sickness. The unit has already performed over 1,600 scheduled treatments and 87 urgent treatments, figures that reflect the intensity and relevance of its activity.
Pioneering Research on an International Level
IMETISA’s innovative dimension is further reinforced through its commitment to biomedical research. In collaboration with the Bioavance Foundation and the University of La Laguna (ULL), the entity drives scientific projects that place the Canaries at the forefront of knowledge. A notable example is the research line developed with the ULL and the Intensive Care Unit of the Hospital Universitario de Canarias, led by Dr Leonardo Lorente, focusing on the study of oxidative stress in patients with decompression sickness and the potential modulating effect of hyperbaric chamber treatment.
A product of this joint work is the recent publication in the journal Medicina Intensiva of the article “High serum malondialdehyde levels in patients with decompression sickness”. It describes higher serum levels of malondialdehyde, a biomarker of lipid oxidation, in divers with decompression sickness compared to healthy populations. This is a pioneering international finding that reinforces the role of the hyperbaric chamber not only as a care resource but also as a platform for generating scientific evidence.
Commitment to a Sustainable Future
This comprehensive approach is complemented by a firm commitment to sustainability. IMETISA is aligned with the Canary Islands Health Service’s ‘Salud Zer0 Emisiones 2030’ (Zero Emissions Health 2030) Strategy. This involves measuring its carbon footprint, improving energy efficiency, using renewable energy, promoting sustainable mobility, reducing waste and single-use plastics, and managing water more efficiently.
In short, IMETISA represents an advanced way of understanding public healthcare from an island perspective: technology in the service of people, research with real impact, and an innovative vision driven by the Tenerife Island Council. It is an example of how investment in knowledge, institutional coordination, and social commitment can translate into health, safety, and a future for the Canary Islands.
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