Physiotherapists in State to get a council, at last

The long-pending demand for a physiotherapists’ council will soon see the light of day.

The Health Department is taking steps to implement a government order issued in 2008 to constitute the Tamil Nadu State Council for Physiotherapy to register professional in the State and regulate their services.

“We are working towards constituting the council. We have asked the Tamil Nadu Medical Council to nominate a member for the physiotherapists’ council. It will be formed within two months,” said an official of the directorate of medical services.

It will function on the same lines as the councils for nursing and pharmacy, he said.

In a government order (G.O.) dated October 16, 2008, the health department said the council would be constituted to coordinate and determine standards of physiotherapy education. The move comes at a time when the debate over physiotherapists prefixing ‘Dr.’ before their names continues.

Physiotherapists, however, said their views were not considered before issuing the G.O. “We were fighting for a long time for the council. We want the government to cancel the order and issue a new order after considering our opinions. If they do not want to cancel the order, they should consult us before constituting the council,” said V. Krishnakumar, president of the Forum for Physiotherapists.