The Portuguese Physiotherapists’ Association is marking seven years since its establishment, at a particularly significant time for the consolidation of the profession and the strengthening of its public mission.
The establishment of the Professional Association confirmed the autonomy of physiotherapy and assigned it a clear responsibility: to regulate access to and the practice of the profession of physiotherapist, in the interests of the public, who are the recipients of physiotherapy care.
The Association exists because the State has recognised that physiotherapy has its own identity, its own body of knowledge, its own responsibilities and a direct impact on people’s health. It exists to ensure that the professional title of physiotherapist corresponds to appropriate qualifications and valid registration. It exists to promote quality, safety, ethics and professional responsibility. And, above all, it exists to protect the public.
Seven years on, the Portuguese Physiotherapists’ Association has reached a stage of greater institutional maturity, with its national and regional bodies established and operational. This situation enables the Order to strengthen its ties with physiotherapists, the public, institutions and the local community, giving national and regional expression to the Order’s mission.
Our commitment remains clear: to establish physiotherapy as an autonomous scientific discipline and a self-regulated profession, to uphold the professional title of physiotherapist, to combat the unauthorised practice of the profession, and to contribute to the quality and safety of the care provided in the various settings in which we work.
Physiotherapy should be recognised not merely for the number of procedures or sessions carried out, but for the value it adds to people’s lives. Its contribution is reflected in improved functionality, reduced pain and disability, the restoration of independence, the prevention of falls, respiratory and functional capacity, social participation and quality of life.
This is also the path towards a more ambitious and transformative vision of the organisation of healthcare: a vision centred on outcomes, continuity of care, scientific evidence, professional accountability and the real impact of interventions on the public.
The Association will continue to work to ensure that physiotherapy is increasingly recognised for its specific contribution to public health, to the sustainability of healthcare systems and to the protection of the rights of people seeking physiotherapy care.
This is a collective endeavour. It depends on the responsibility of the Order, but also on the day-to-day contribution of every physiotherapist, educational institutions, service providers, decision-makers, institutional partners and society.
The individual contribution of each physiotherapist is crucial and irreplaceable.
I am confident that I can continue to count on everyone’s commitment so that, with the interests of the public at heart, our profession may continue to distinguish itself through rigour, independence, responsibility and integrity.
António Lopes
President of the Portuguese Order of Physiotherapists