- García Comesaña emphasises the “integral nature” of the project, as it tackles the disease through its 4 basic pillars: diet, physical activity, rest and medication control.
- Throughout 2024, a multidisciplinary team of experts (doctors, nurses, nutritionists, therapists and physical activity experts) will be involved in promoting healthy behaviours among participants.
- As part of the transfer of good practice and knowledge in the health sector promoted by the European Union, Galicia will be the protagonist in exporting its Home Teleassistance Platform (TELEA) to other countries.
A Capela (A Coruña), 20 January 2024
The Regional Minister of Health in Galicia (Spain), Julio García Comesaña, spoke this morning at the opening of the “Care 4 diabetes” conference, the European project developed by the Galician Health Service in collaboration with the General Directorate of Public Health: The European Project aims to provide people living with type 2 diabetes mellitus with tools and skills to improve and increase their quality of life.
Today and tomorrow, a total of 17 Galician people diagnosted with type2 diabetes will participate in the Care 4 Diabetes programme of activities, which has been designated as a Best Practice to be replicated by the European Commission, and whose first sessions will be held at the “A Capela Town Hall”. Galicia is part of the Spanish consortium participating in this European project, along with the Principality of Asturias, Cantabria, Extremadura, Andalusia and Aragon.
The main objective of this project, based on the Netherlands initial experience, is to improve and promote the health and quality of life of people living with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) by reducing the risk factors of the disease.
According to the head of the Xunta’s health portfolio, “this project approaches diabetes in a comprehensive way”, focusing on “the four basic pillars that affect the disease: nutrition, physical activity, rest and relaxation, and additionally the control of diabetes-related medication”.
A multidisciplinary team of doctors, nurses, dieticians, therapists and physical activity experts will develop a range of activities and training sessions to promote healthy behaviours along to those participating in the programme.
The project will run for one year. An intensive phase will take place from January to July, starting with this initial two days training session, followed by scheduled reviews with the multidisciplinary team designated for the group. There is an online supportive platform where related content and activities will be weekly update. The second phase of the project will begin in August and will focus on patient follow-up, reinforcing the content learned through lectures, webinars, meetings, forums, etc.
The clinical monitoring will be carried out through the Sergas Tele-assistance Platform (TELEA), through which their electronic medical records will be sent, biomedical measurements and health questionnaires will also be completed.
TELEA and the European transfer of good health practices
The “Care 4 Diabetes” project originated in the Netherlands under the name “ReverseDiabetes2Now”, it is an initiative developed by the Dutch NGO Voeding Leeft and selected as Best by the European Union (EU).
Following its selection, the project is now called Care4Diabetes, “Coido da miña diabetes” in Galicia, and will be replicated in 12 European countries (Belgium, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Malta, Poland and Portugal).
The programme is being launched as part of the European Commission’s efforts to transfer and replicate best practice in public health among its member countries.
It should be noted that the supportive tool used in Galicia, the Home Teleassistance Platform (TELEA), has been selected as model to be exported to other countries, given its quality to carry out the monitoring and contact between chronic patients and health professionals