By 2050 the global population will include 2 billion people aged 60 or over, and 400 million aged 80 or over. In Bangladesh, it will be 17% of total population; millions of people will be disabled and affected with movement related disorders.

World Health Organisation’s World Report on Ageing and Health says, “Maintenance of functional ability has the highest importance” for these sufferers. Evidently it is proven that physiotherapists have a key role in enabling disabled people and patients with movement related disorders to make them physically independent, improving their quality of life as well functional abilities, more social participation and overall to reduce health care cost.

With a view to raise awareness on the necessity of physiotherapy, World Physiotherapy Day is observed on September 8. This year’s theme is Add life to years.

The evidence of the clinical and cost-effectiveness of physiotherapy for disabilities and movement disorders is incontrovertible. Physiotherapists are the qualified movement and exercise experts who can directly and safely help people to become physically active to reduce 50% of functional limitation risk and 40% of death rate.

Physiotherapists help people to reach their physical potential after stroke and reduce readmission and care costs.

Movement related disorders and disability rate in all ages are increasing alarmingly worldwide due to spread of obesity, diabetes, heart diseases, stroke, arthritis, pain, paralysis, cancer and other diseases which would be the greatest challenge of healthcare.

The magnitude of these conditions for different reasons in Bangladesh is quite high to address as an emerging health problem. These conditions affect our mobility and motor coordination which seriously jeopardises our lifestyle, work, day to day activities and independence of movement. Physiotherapy is the most mainstream of all non-surgical treatments including prevention of recurrence for these problems.

Physiotherapists are professionals with specific medical & health education and skills who can successfully transform lives through the application of their clinical skills and experience. In Bangladesh we are still very far away from the track to see such revolution. Although the profession in Bangladesh has already passed 50 years, still there is no authority to regulate it. Many people are being treated by quacks and are frequently victimised.

On World Physiotherapy Day, physiotherapists around the country raised their voices to demand their deserved rights of status, government Physiotherapy College, council, posts. The concerned authorities should take necessary steps to fulfill their rights in order to create a healthy working environment for the physiotherapists to continue their services to the society.

*Dr. Dolilur Rahman is the president of Bangladesh Physiotherapy Association (BPA)