The President of the Portuguese Physiotherapists’ Association, António Lopes, took part in FTP26 – the International Physiotherapy Congress (https://www.ftp26.cat/es), organised by the Col·legi de Fisioterapeutes de Catalunya, which took place in Barcelona from 9 to 11 July.
The Order took part in the Congress’s opening ceremony and the round-table discussion entitled «Conditions for practising the profession in Europe», which was devoted to analysing the different models for the practice, regulation and development of the profession in various European countries.
In his speech, the President of the Association outlined the status of physiotherapy in Portugal as an autonomous and self-regulated health profession, the specific competences of physiotherapists, the model for entry into the profession, and some of the main challenges facing its development.
Other topics discussed included training, professional mobility, regulation, the development of professional specialisms, the integration of physiotherapists into the healthcare system, and the need for greater European harmonisation in the practice of the profession.
Participation in FTP26 also included an institutional meeting between Ordre MK, the Portuguese Physiotherapists’ Association and the General Council of Professional Associations, aimed at identifying potential areas for cooperation and joint work between organisations representing and regulating the physiotherapy profession.
The Order’s presence at this congress reinforces the involvement of the Portuguese physiotherapy profession in the European debate on the development, regulation and future of the profession, as well as deepening institutional collaboration with counterpart organisations.
