Rehabilitation sciences: Advancements can improve lives, says HEC chairperson

ISLAMABAD:

Latest advancements in rehabilitation sciences, an interdisciplinary field that focuses on human function and disability, can play a vital role in improving the lives of the physically challenged.

Higher Education Commission (HEC) Chairperson Dr Mukhtar Ahmed said this on Sunday while addressing the closing ceremony of a two-day international conference on rehabilitation sciences organised at a local hotel.

He said the crucial contribution of rehabilitation practitioners in the advancement of healthcare must be acknowledged.

The HEC chairperson said it was a unique event providing ground for formal as well as informal exchange and flow of knowledge for mutual benefit of professionals and practitioners in the field of rehabilitation education and research.



Leading international experts in the field discussed the future of rehabilitation sciences in Pakistan at the conference arranged by Isra Institute of Rehabilitation Sciences (IIRS), Isra University.

IIRS Principal Dr Naveed Babur said the country was severely lacking research work in rehabilitation sciences. The government needs to take measures in this regard so as to improve the quality of rehabilitation practitioners in the country, he stressed.

Babur said that currently almost 3,500 physiotherapists were working in the country, but there was not a single specific accrediting body to regularise their services. He said that the government needed to take action in this regard.

Dr Andy Charley discussed the role of family medicine in rehabilitation in the UK.

Dr Ayeza Yazdani Abid talked about development of an individualised educational plan and the role of a multidisciplinary team. Comprehensive rehabilitation of people with spinal cord injuries was discussed by Ilyas Syed.

A poster presentation along with various presentations were held at the event.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 16^th, 2015.