The School of Health and Care started by the Regional Government has already formed 60 "expert patients" who are trained to, in turn, train other patients in order to face their pathologies.

Speaking to Efe, the general director of Quality and Humanization of Health Assistance, Rodrigo Gutiérrez, stressed that despite the fact that the order that gives "legal letter" to the school was published on January 24 in the Official GazetteFrom Castilla-La Mancha (Docm), the initiative already has been working around one year.

He explained that its purpose is that people affected by diseases, especially chronicles, the most prevalent in Western countries, are "more co -responsible and capable of facing the disease, with which they will have to live together their entire life."

In this sense, he pointed out that these are processes and pathologies that "have no healing but treatment" to improve the quality of life, alleviate symptomatology and improve functionality in the activities of the patient's daily life.

The Health School aims to "train and train between patients - among the same - how to face the disease and howScientific evidence "that improves the quality of life, as happened with the first programs launched in the United States a few years ago, he said.

Specifically, she said that at Stanford University (California) Dr. Kate Lorig demonstrated how selected groups of diabetes patients, heart failure, kidney disease, etc., with basic knowledge, were able to transmit other people in the sameor similar clinical situation a series of knowledge and practical skills.

"Health parameters and indicators such as analytics were much better in people who had training," he stressed.

In addition, he pointed out that it was in the last legislature of the Socialist Government when working on this matter began and has lamented that the PP Executive "interrupted it" and the current government has had to resume it because "it is a very interesting tool, effective and that achieves very positive results. "

Thus, since November 2016, the Health School was launched with the organization of workshops that are developed in two phases, a first in which patients are formed at the Institute of Health Sciences in Talavera de la Reina (Toledo) and a second in which, with the collaboration of professionals, they form other people with similar clinical pictures.

Gutiérrez has pointed out that during the past year the workshops dedicated themselves to type I and II diabetes and breast cancer, and has advanced that this year they will focus on chronic obstructive disease (COPD) and child-second obesity.

It has also advanced that at the end of this month or at the beginning of March the school website will also be launched in which a calendar will appear with the workshops, a directory with the associations of the various pathologies and links to other pagesWeb of interest for patients and professionals.

"The School of Health and Care is a basic tool that is efficient because it contributes to making a better use of public health resources, corresponding and visible the work that patients and associations do, improves their autonomy, supports caregivers and caregivers andThe treatments make more secure, "concluded the general director.