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In a twist over whether physiotherapists can use the prefix “Dr,” the Directorate-General of Health Services made a U-turn within hours, withdrawing its letter to the Indian Medical Association (IMA) that had agreed with the latter’s stance that physiotherapists should not use the prefix. It justified the move saying more deliberations were needed.
On September 10, a letter from the DGHS addressed to the IMA national president, Dr Dilip Bhanushali, said, “… lt is hereby directed that the usage of the prefix ‘Dr’ for physiotherapists in the Competency Based Curriculum for Physiotherapy Approved Syllabus 2025 be removed forthwith. A more appropriate and respectful title may be considered for graduates and postgraduates of physiotherapy, without causing ambiguity to patients or the public.”
The letter, dated September 9, stated that the Directorate had received several representations and strong objections from various organizations, including the lndian Association of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (IAPMR), regarding the use of the prefix “Dr” and suffix “PT.”
The letter argued that physiotherapists are not trained as medical doctors and, therefore, should not use the prefix ‘Dr,’ as it misleads patients and the general public, potentially leading to quackery. It also mentioned three high court rulings on the issue.
Yet, in spite of this reasoning, the DGHS, unequivocally, revoked this letter hours later.
Elaborating on the confusion of prefixes, Dr Sanjiv K Jha (PT), the national president of the Indian Association of Physiotherapists (IAP), said, “I feel that people should be known by their work and if we go by the literal meaning of doctor, it means someone who has a PhD. It has changed from era to era and now it has become a way of showing supremacy rather than reality on the ground. Further, the IMA, in 1984, passed a resolution that we will suffix our name with ‘PT’ and we are the only professionals in healthcare who actively try to identify ourselves in the right manner. IAP has issued a public notice in 2010 clearly stating that we are not trying to infringe on someone else’s work. This whole debate is taking us back by 30-40 years. Rather than getting into this trap, we should concentrate on our work.”
IMA president Dr Dilip Bhanushali said the association is now thinking of taking a legal opinion. “Nobody writes the suffix, that is the problem. Instead of writing Dr, we should use some other prefix.”
Dr Yagna Shukla, chairperson of the National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions (NCAHP), the regulator whose syllabus has been brought into question here, said, “In the NCAHP curriculum, physiotherapists are allowed to use the prefix ‘Dr.’ This is because the NCAHP Act, 2021, allows for them to have independent practice. However, their name must be suffixed by ‘PT’ to denote their profession.”
A high level meeting has been called on Thursday by the DGHS for further deliberations on the issue.
