prompts for august 2026
What have your experiences taught you about the healthcare system?
My experiences have taught me that no healthcare system is perfect, but I actually think the public healthcare system here in the Canary Islands is quite good.
There are limitations to living on one of the smaller islands. Gran Canaria and Tenerife naturally have more specialists and larger hospitals, so sometimes we have to travel to Gran Canaria for appointments and treatments that aren’t available here. That can make things more complicated.
After my husband’s accident three years ago, several people asked why we didn’t simply move back to Norway.
We did consider it for a while. The language would certainly make some things easier, and Norway was our home for many years. But then we had to ask ourselves another question:
Why did we move to the Canary Islands in the first place?
One of the important reasons was the stable climate, and that still matters to us.
Our daughters also grew up here and see themselves as Canarii. This is their home. They’re in the middle of their education and building their own futures here. Moving an entire family back to Norway wouldn’t only affect my husband and me, and it wouldn’t have been fair to uproot them simply because life had suddenly become more difficult.
Being part of the public healthcare system here also means we don’t pay fees every time we see a doctor, and our prescription medication is heavily subsidised; in our case, we pay only around 10% of the cost.
Living through serious illness, accidents, hospital stays and endless appointments has probably taught me something else too:
Healthcare isn’t only about doctors, hospitals and medication. Where you live, your family, climate, accessibility, continuity of care and quality of life all matter.
Sometimes the place that looks easiest on paper isn’t necessarily the place that’s best for your family.
For us, despite the challenges of island life, the Canary Islands are home. 💜
My song “Silenced, but not broken” is avaliable from 13th of August on all streaming platforms. 💜
https://ditto.fm/silenced-but-not-broken
With love, coffee, poetry, and stardust,
— Maggie The Afterlove Voice 💫
My new album “Beneath The Northern Star ” is out. You can save and play the songs on your streaming platforms here:
🌙 Beneath the Northern Stars – My New Album
If you want a reading, send me an email:
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