Paramedical & Physiotherapy Councils Bill - 2004 : Physiotherapists Find Not Acceptable

Opposing Government's initiative to club physiotherapy with paramedical council, physiotherapists across the country have demanded a "Physiotherapy Council of India".

At a recently staged peaceful march in Delhi, organised by the Indian Association of Physiotherapists (IAP), the apex body for physiotherapists in the country, thousands of physiotherapists from all over the country raised concerns over the proposed 'Paramedical and Physiotherapy Councils Bill-2004', to be presented in the parliament for discussion in the forthcoming budget session.

What has irked the physiotherapists is that their demand of a council for the past 40 years, akin to the Medical Council, Dental Council, Nursing Council and councils for various Indian systems of medicine, was answered by government announcement of a joint council of physiotherapists with paramedics, Dr Bela Sethi, convenor, Council Act Committee, said. However, governments clubbing the council with paramedics, has infuriated the physiotherapists. "The four-and-a-half year degree course for a qualified physiotherapist is on par with any other medical professional programme and clubbing it with paramedics downgrades its importance and will affect the profession of physiotherapy," she explained.

According to Dr Pradeep Kumar, convenor, Delhi branch of IAP, the proposed joint council for physiotherapy and paramedics may degrade physiotherapy and lead to deterioration of quality of practice and educational standards. " We need a council, which should be represented by the majority of physiotherapists who will work for improvement and upgradation of the profession," he added. According to Dr S Prabhu, president, IAP, there are about 16,000 registered physiotherapists in the country and it is imperative that they should have a council to bring some regulation and order in the discipline. However, clubbing it with paramedics is not only demeaning, but will hamper the profession of physiotherapy also, he argues.

In the absence of a separate council, there will be no regulatory body to mechanise the proper education standards in physiotherapy, which will have an adverse effect on the public health, rues Dr Pradeep.

What has irked physiotherapists is the high-handed approach of the government in the whole matter. The bill was approved by the cabinet without taking their view into consideration or consulting them, says Dr Bela Sethi. After the peace march, the government has promised to look into the matter and consider their demands, says Dr Prabhu and adds that the Bill should be presented before the standing committee for health. The IAP members recently met with the health minister, the Prime Minister etc and appealed to them to bring about a few changes; changing the title of the proposal Bill, change in the definition, increase the representation in the proposed council and separate physiotherapy from occupational therapy.

"A change of definition of the term 'physiotherapy' is needed because the existing definition is limited in content and scope and not clearly defined. Instead, the association has proposed inclusion of a more comprehensive definition as accepted by the Delhi Physiotherapy Council or the Maharashtra Physiotherapy Council," says Dr Prabhu.

The present definition does not allow physiotherapists to practice independently. " How can you expect a physiotherapy treatment to be 'medically-directed', when the four-and-half-years degree course for a qualified physiotherapist is on par with any other medical professional programme," demands Dr Bela.

Physiotherapy is the process of healing a person as a whole and extends much beyond just disability due to pain as limited in the currently proposed definition, shed adds. The IAP is also discontented with the representation of of the physiotherapists in the proposed council, which only three physiotherapists of a team of 27.

According to Dr Prabhu, this number should also be increased. The third demand of the association is to separate physiotherapy from occupational therapy as these are two different disciplines and graduate of one cannot practice the other , says Dr Prabhu and ask if these two professions have already been declared different, how then could they be registered under the same council?

(Ref : "Express Pharma Pulse" dated April 21, 2005)