Nigerians living in rural communities will soon gain access to physiotherapy and other rehabilitation services at primary healthcare centres (PHCs) nationwide, following the Federal Government’s adoption of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Rehabilitation 2030 Framework.
The initiative, when fully implemented, will integrate physiotherapy and related rehabilitation professions into the PHC system, bringing such services closer to underserved populations.
The President of the Nigeria Society of Physiotherapy (NSP), Dr Oyinlola Odusanya, who disclosed this at the 65th yearly Scientific Conference and 66th yearly general meeting of the association, held in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, with the theme “Physiopreneurship: Innovate, Disrupt,
Thrive,” said physiotherapy and rehabilitation services have been largely absent from Nigeria’s primary healthcare system, despite being essential for community health.
“For the past 15 to 20 years, we have engaged the government on integrating physiotherapy into primary healthcare, because that is where people in the communities can access such services,” he said. “With the WHO Rehabilitation 2030 Framework, which Nigeria has adopted and is domesticating, the government has agreed to include physiotherapy and other rehabilitation professionals in PHCs. Once the policy is fully implemented, all Nigerians, especially those in rural areas, will have access to physiotherapists.”
He urged the government to deploy at least one physiotherapist or establish rehabilitation centres in every comprehensive healthcare facility across the country.
Odusanya decried the massive brain drain in the sector, revealing that between 60 and 75 per cent of Nigerian-trained physiotherapists are currently practising abroad due to poor remuneration and working conditions.
He called on federal and state governments to employ more physiotherapists in general hospitals and PHCs, improve welfare packages, and review remuneration to encourage retention.
Nigeria currently faces a deficit of about 50,000 physiotherapists, he said, but efforts are underway to bridge the gap.
“We need around 50,000 physiotherapists to adequately serve Nigeria’s population. In the last decade, training institutions have increased, and while we used to produce about 500 physiotherapists yearly, we now produce around 2,000. Within the next two to three years, we expect that number to rise to 5,000 annually,” he explained.
Odusanya also cautioned Nigerians against patronising unqualified traditional bone setters, noting that their interventions often result in irreversible complications.
“Physiotherapy is a science-based, problem-solving profession focused on restoring movement, function, and quality of life. Many patients treated by traditional bone setters still end up coming to physiotherapists after complications set in,” he said.
Speaking on the conference theme, Odusanya described “Physiopreneurship” as the future of the profession, stressing that modern physiotherapists must be innovators, leaders, and entrepreneurs, not just clinicians.
He urged the Federal and State Governments, development agencies, and private investors to view physiotherapy entrepreneurship as a strategic investment in the nation’s health sector.
“For too long, physiotherapy in Nigeria and Africa has been viewed only through the lens of hospital-based practice. But the realities of today’s healthcare system demand that physiotherapists embrace entrepreneurship as an essential pillar for growth and relevance,” he said.
“Investing in physiotherapy means reducing the burden of non-communicable diseases, improving quality of life for people with disabilities, lowering healthcare costs through effective rehabilitation, and creating jobs for our teeming youth.”
Declaring the conference open, Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno, represented by his deputy, Senator Akon Eyakenyi, commended physiotherapists for their indispensable role in patient wellness, saying their work is critical to the quality of healthcare delivery in Nigeria.
