Kano State currently lacks a single speech physiotherapist, forcing residents requiring specialized rehabilitation care to travel outside the state for medical attention. Dr Abubakar Labaran, the Kano State Commissioner for Health, made this disclosure during the 66th Annual Scientific Conference and 67th Annual General Meeting of the Nigeria Society of Physiotherapy hosted in Kano.
Addressing the gathering, Labaran stated that the state administration is actively tackling the personnel deficit by sponsoring medical professionals for specialized training to ensure these critical treatments become locally accessible. He noted that the government has already scaled up physiotherapy units across four public hospitals to bolster healthcare delivery, alongside ongoing efforts to set up a dedicated center of excellence at the Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital.
What measures are being taken to address the specialist deficit?
"We realised that we don’t have a single speech physiotherapist in Kano and perhaps in the entire North. We either have to bring a specialist from Ibadan or travel there. We have therefore decided to sponsor physiotherapists to specialise in this area so that the services will be available in Kano," Labaran explained.
Representing the Minister of State for Health, Professor Rufai Ahmed, who serves as the Registrar of the Medical Rehabilitation Therapists Board of Nigeria, underscored the necessity of prioritizing niche medical training. Ahmed promised that his agency would dispatch a team to support state-run medical facilities in obtaining proper accreditation for physiotherapy units, reaffirming governmental dedication to overcoming systemic challenges.
Dr Felix Oyinlola Odusanya, President of the Nigeria Society of Physiotherapy, remarked that the event's focal points demonstrated a renewed drive to elevate the profession. He expressed optimism regarding the impending rollout of a national rehabilitation policy and the implementation of the Doctor of Physiotherapy scheme of service within the public health sector. Odusanya highlighted that Nigeria boasts 60 training institutions for the discipline, following the recent approval of a five-year Doctor of Physiotherapy curriculum by regulatory authorities.
Speaking on behalf of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, the Secretary to the State Government, Umar Faruk, described the conference as a vital discourse platform for mitigating physical pain and integrating rehabilitation into mainstream public health. Meanwhile, Senator Bello Hayatu Gwarzo recounted his personal rehabilitation journey post-surgery in Germany, crediting expert care for his ability to regain mobility.
In a keynote lecture, guest speaker Dr Felix Abraham Obi criticized the marginalization of physiotherapists within administrative ranks, pointing out that despite producing skilled practitioners, the nation's healthcare bureaucracy fails to appoint them to leadership roles where they can influence policy formulation and decision-making.