Health Minister Mussab al-Ali met Sunday with Arab Confederation for Physical Therapy President Sida Sassin and her accompanying delegation to discuss ways of developing and regulating the physical therapy profession in line with global standards.
Al-Ali said during the meeting held at the Ministry of Health headquarters, that it is essential to develop and put physiotherapy within its frame in means that serve the health sector, and to prevent those who are not specialized from practicing the profession, highlighting the need for workshops and lectures that bring in international organizations and specialists to issue recommendations on organizing the profession and supporting physical therapy centers.
In remarks to SANA, Walid al-Rahmoun, director of health professions at the ministry, noted the importance of forming shared action points on the profession’s work mechanisms and development, as well as Syria’s strategic vision in this field and the benefits of exchanging expertise between Syria and Lebanon.
Waddah al-Khateeb, director of the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, explained that the workforce is composed of three groups — health institute technicians, four-year physical therapy graduates, and rehabilitation physicians. He said these teams prepare therapeutic and rehabilitation plans for a wide range of medical conditions, including disability cases, prosthetics patients, neurological disorders, joint diseases and injuries resulting from various accidents, with the goal of reintegrating patients and helping them return to daily life.
Sassin stressed the importance of unifying tasks in implementing physical therapy practices in both Syria and Lebanon, and reviewed avenues of support for advancing the profession. She proposed holding a two- to three-day workshop under the auspices of the Syrian Ministry of Health to define practitioners’ roles, set boundaries of specialization and exchange expertise.
The meeting was attended by Mohammad Salem, director of primary healthcare at the ministry; George al-Bowari, secretary-general of the Arab Confederation for Physical Therapy; and representatives of the Lebanese Physical Therapists Syndicate
