A 254-kilometre protest march in Gujarat by physiotherapists for the establishment of a central council to govern the profession and to rectify issues concerning them in the draft Clinical Establishment (Central Government) Third Amendment Rules, 2019 ended here on Tuesday.
Some 800 physiotherapists from across the country began the march on August 25 from Dandi in south Gujarat, and it culminated at Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad.
Among the changes they have demanded in the draft rules is the stipulation that people need to obtain a doctor's prescription to approach a physiotherapist.
March organising committee chairperson Umashankar Mohanty said, "As per World Health Organisation, physiotherapy is a direct access practice, which also prevents surgery. It appears surgeons are having issues with this, and hence they are trying to suppress physiotherapy profession."
"This is why the draft Clinical Establishment Rules require prescription from doctors to practice, which is against the WHO guidelines. Such a practice will increase the financial burden of a patient," he added.
He said the protests would continue, adding they had successfully managed to get such a referral practice clause removed in the Clinical Establishment Act in 2014.
"Since the government has not responded, we will carry out our agitation at Rajghat in New Delhi on September 5. After observing a silent protest there, we will march to Shantivan," he said.
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