Board develops national standards for postgraduate physiotherapy specialisation
By Our Correspondent
The Medical Rehabilitation Therapists Registration Board of Nigeria (MRTB) says it is developing national standards for postgraduate clinical specialisation to regulate advanced physiotherapy practice and strengthen professional capacity nationwide.
The Registrar of the Board, Prof. Rufai Ahmed, said this at a news conference in Abuja, adding that a draft standard had been developed to coordinate specialised clinical practice across the country.
The news conference was held after 46 enthusiastic physiotherapists from across Nigeria were trained.
Ahmed said the board had evaluated existing areas of specialisation and available professional skills while collaborating with international foundations, trainers and institutes to strengthen advanced physiotherapy practice.
“The initiative involved a partnership between the Foundation for Empowering Persons with Disabilities and the Manual Therapy Foundation of India to introduce specialised training for Nigerian physiotherapists.
“The programme is designed to equip practitioners with skills to identify and address the underlying mechanical causes of pain, disability and movement impairments rather than merely treating symptoms,” he said.
He noted that physiotherapy focused on the body’s movement systems, stressing that manual therapy helped practitioners assess and correct mechanical dysfunctions affecting patients.
He said the training adopted a train-the-trainer approach, with selected physiotherapists from different states expected to acquire specialised skills and cascade the knowledge to colleagues in their respective locations.
The registrar said the board coordinated logistics through the Foundation for Empowering Persons with Disabilities, while the Indian foundation provided technical expertise and training services.
He said the programme would feature at least four international partner workshops quarterly, complemented by continuous local training covering foundational, advanced and specialist categories.
Ahmed added that future capacity-building programmes would extend to other physiotherapy specialisations, including neurology, paediatrics, cardiopulmonary care and women’s health.
Responding to questions on training frequency, he said international train-the-trainer workshops would be organised at least four times annually for each topic, with participants expected to replicate the training in their states.
He added that continuous local learning would be sustained through frequent physical and online sessions to strengthen practitioners’ competencies at different professional levels.
On proposals to establish an Institute of Manual and Manipulative Therapy in Nigeria, Ahmed said specialised centres required appropriate governance, academic and institutional structures.
He explained that university-based centres would require formal proposals, coordinators, Senate approval, multidisciplinary professionals, research frameworks, service delivery systems and community engagement arrangements.
Ahmed listed physiotherapists, orthopaedic surgeons and other relevant specialists among the professionals required, alongside adequate facilities and equipment.
He said the initiative aligned with the Federal Ministry of Education’s establishment of six regional centres of excellence for autism and spectrum disorders, adding that similar specialised facilities could be expanded across universities and regions.
Founder of the Manual Therapy Foundation of India, Prof. Umasankar Mohanty, said professional skills development was essential to strengthening physiotherapy services and improving healthcare delivery.
Mohanty, who said he had trained more than 40,000 physiotherapists globally, expressed delight at participating in the Nigerian programme, describing it as his first professional invitation to an African country.
He said his international training engagements had covered countries including the Philippines, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, India, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom and the United States.
The international expert said mechanical conditions, including neck pain, back pain, joint problems and muscle disorders, had increased significantly following the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Mechanical dysfunctions requires appropriate mechanical interventions, particularly manual therapy, rather than relying solely on medication to manage patients’ conditions,” he said.
Mohanty commended the 46 physiotherapists participating in the Nigerian training, pledging continued professional support, access to resources and opportunities for international networking.
Deputy-Director of Physiotherapy at Rakiya Shani Pindoro University Teaching Hospital, Jega, Kebbi, Dr Ibrahim Ruzuk, described the training as an excellent opportunity to strengthen Nigeria’s growing physiotherapy profession.
Ruzuk said the country’s ageing population and increasing burden of non-communicable diseases had heightened the need for specialised rehabilitation services.
He said the manual therapy certification programme would equip practitioners with additional competencies to support people living with disabling conditions and improve their recovery.
Similarly, Dr Habiba Abdul-Aziz, a physiotherapist at the African Medical Centre of Excellence, described manual therapy as a rehabilitation technique involving the use of therapists’ hands to produce physiological and mechanical changes in muscles, joints and body structures.
Abdul-Aziz said the training had exposed participants to contemporary manipulation and mobilisation techniques, describing her experience with Mohanty as an eye-opener.
She emphasised that effective patient rehabilitation required combining exercise therapy with manual therapy to support sustained recovery from movement-related conditions.(https://newsatlarge.ng)