New Delhi: A Parliamentary Committee on Government Assurances has advised the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) to take measures to ensure that sufficient numbers of good-quality physiotherapists are employed in hospitals.
"Towards this end, the Ministry should ensure that only those institutions having sufficient infrastructure and meeting prescribed norms and standards are permitted to run various courses in physiotherapy," the committee chaired by Rajya Sabha MP, M Thambidurai suggested in its report submitted in the Parliament on Wednesday.
The Committee felt that this would contribute a great deal in fulfilling Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of having good healthcare services in the country.
The Committee hoped that preparing the best quality physiotherapists in the country will not only provide employment to a large number of persons but can also earn a good name for the country when these physiotherapists provide their services abroad.
Earlier, the representatives of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, National Medical Commission (NMC) and their team of officers appeared before the Committee for their presentation on the issue.
The health secretary informed the Committee that the matter of cadre restructuring for physiotherapists had been referred to the Department of Expenditure for their approval on the recommendations of the cadre restructuring committee constituted in the matter.
"He further informed that the Department of Expenditure had concurred to the proposal for cadre restructuring for physiotherapists and an Implementation Report fulfilling the assurance has already been submitted to the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs. It was further informed by the Ministry that subsequent to the cadre restructuring, two more levels have been added in the promotional hierarchy for physiotherapists," the report said.
The Committee, however, observed that the number of physiotherapists currently employed in the country may not be sufficient to meet their demand. One member of the committee pointed out that the services of physiotherapists are not available in remote areas of the country, including tribal areas.
The Committee, therefore, stressed the need for preparing an adequate number of high-quality physiotherapists in the country to cater to the ever-increasing demand for their services.
