When Ajith Kumar* chose to study physiotherapy after doing extremely well in his school finals, the farmer’s son from Villupuram thought he was taking the best option available to pursue his interest in sports medicine.
But after four years of graduate studies at Government College of Physiotherapy, Periyamilaguparai, Tiruchi, and six months of unpaid internship at a government hospital, the job offers are far from satisfactory.
“I have been attending interviews at private hospitals, but while they all want us to work hard, they do not want to pay us for our labour,” Mr. Kumar told The Hindu .
“The starting salary is ₹8,000, and after probation, the most we can expect to get is ₹12,000 per month. After four years of studying as long as say, engineers or dentists, we cannot even command a respectable minimum wage,” he rued.
Over 3,000 physiotherapy graduates like Mr. Kumar enter the State healthcare sector every year, but only around 100-120 students get employed, said a veteran Madurai-based professional who requested anonymity.
“Despite the big demand for physiotherapists in the State due to a change in the lifestyle and disease profile of the population, the Government has done little to promote our services. It is ironic that while Government hospitals appoint just one physio who sees more than 4,000 patients a day, a 200-bed private nursing home will typically have four to five physiotherapists to look after a smaller number of people,” he pointed out.
Besides Tiruchi college, the Government Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine and Hospital in Chennai is the only other State-run institution offering undergraduate courses in the subject.
In contrast, there are over 40 private physiotherapy colleges in Tamil Nadu that score over them because they offer post-graduation.
In private colleges, the tuition fee for Government-alloted seats in Master of Physiotherapy (MPT) is around ₹50,000 per annum, and can rise substantially when examination fees, practical postings and other payments are added. A Government college Bachelor of Physiotherapy (BPT) course, on the other hand, costs just ₹1,200 per annum.
“Only around 200 of those who graduated before 1995 have been recruited through the Professional Employment Exchange,” said Tiruchi-based physiotherapist Balachandar Balakrishnan, who has been in the field for nearly 20 years. He is also the secretary of the Alumni Association of Government College of Physiotherapy.
“Instead of employing physiotherapists on short-term contracts in Government healthcare projects, authorities should recruit them on a permanent basis, especially in rural primary health centres. A reservation policy for Government college students would be helpful,” he added.
In the absence of monitoring, several hospitals have taken to training nurses or technicians in basic physiotherapy, allowing them to cut corners. “Anyone can set up a physiotherapy clinic in the State today because nobody is watching over them,” said the Madurai professional.
(*Name changed to protect privacy)
