Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauded physiotherapists on the World PT (physical therapy) Day on Thursday, saying they play a key role in safeguarding the health of people. The day is observed on September 8 to raise awareness about the critical role physical therapists play in healthcare.
“Today, on World PT Day, I laud the efforts of all physiotherapists who play a key role in safeguarding the health of people. We will keep making efforts to popularise and further modernise physiotherapy,” Modi said in a tweet. He also shared an article on his portal which highlighted the measures he first as Gujarat chief minister and then as prime minister has taken to make the therapy more accessible. “PM Modi through policy measures, pertinent legislation has empowered physiotherapists in the country and, at the same time, has made sure that there is an increased awareness about this valuable profession. His continued emphasis on the importance of physiotherapy has improved the standards of treatment in Gujarat, now it is improving the treatment standards across the country,” the article said.
The immense contribution of physical therapists in treating patients with acute pain is immeasurable but these “master healers” were not given their due status in the medical fraternity for many years in India, it said. “When he (Modi) became the Chief Minister of Gujarat, he laid required emphasis on physiotherapy. He gave importance to traditional medicine, yoga, and physiotherapy for all in Gujarat. It was during his tenure that Gujarat’s first physiotherapy council was formed, which gave physiotherapy its due professional status in the medical fraternity,” it said.
The council resulted in availability of skilled, qualified physiotherapists in the healthcare system of the state, and they are providing comprehensive healthcare and team work along with the specialists, it said. The Modi government at the Centre after due deliberations and consultation, passed the National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professionals Bill in 2021, and the establishment of Central Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions has given a much-needed fillip to physiotherapy, which as a profession had been unregulated and unrecognized for 75 years, it added.
“Inclusion of physiotherapists under Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission Network will also allow Patients to easily search the ABDM network for registered facilities across different systems of medicine like modern medicine (Allopathic), Ayurveda, Dentistry, Homeopathy, Physiotherapy, Unani, Siddha or Sowa Rigpa. “Ayurveda and Physiotherapy are not mutually exclusive, as the principle of all the treatment used in physiotherapy and Ayurveda is similar and as it produces a synergistic effect on managing that particular condition effectively it is advisable to use an integrative treatment,” the write-up noted.
To make sure patients get the best out of this confluence of ayurveda and physiotherapy, the Modi government has made sure that the physiotherapy treatment is integrated with ayush treatment. This has been started in many ayush hospitals and colleges, it said. It added, “Physiotherapists are magnificent healers when it comes to releasing of acute pain. Their inclusion in the mainstream medical fraternity, assured by PM Modi, has further opened avenues for multilateral forms of quality treatment to the people of the country. The importance of physical therapists cannot be stated more when they provide much needed assistance to our sportsmen. Now, that India is bringing more number medals in last 6 years, their relevance has increased manifold.” .
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