PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has planned to appoint female physiotherapists in the public sector hospitals to provide physical therapy services to the women suffering from different kinds of pain.

`We are going to induct women physiotherapists to cope with the women patients. In our society, women patients prefer to be examined by female health providers,` secretary health Mushtaq Jadoon told a seminar held in connection with the World Physiotherapy Day at the Khyber Union Hall, Islamia College University, on Tuesday.

Pakistan Physiotherapists Association organised the event to highlight the importance of physical therapy services.

Mr Jadoon said that the government had already extended the physiotherapy facilities to the 25 district headquarter hospitals where equipment had been installed. He said that 20 physiotherapists were being recruited for the purpose.

He said that physiotherapy played an important role in rehabilitation of the patients who underwent treatment from physi-cians, surgeons as well as gynaecologists.

The PC-1 for physiotherapy services will be revised to induct females and benefit the women patients, he said.

On this occasion, presentations were made by experts, highlighting the role of physiotherapy in treatment of various diseases. Dr Mahboobur Rehman, chairman board of directors Pakistan Physiotherapy Association, said that the number of physiotherapists would be increased to reach all the patients.

He said that physiotherapy had a vital role right from the intensive care unit medical rehabilitation to prevention of disabilities.

He said that there were around 100 physiotherapists in Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, while in KP their number was one or two in the teaching hospitals due to which they faced problems to prevent the physical disabilities and ensure quality health services.

The event was attended by physiotherapists from Islamabad, Lahore and Abbottabad. Prof Asghar Khan from Ripha University, Islamabad, Mohammad Ilyas of KP Paraplegic Centre, Prof Mohammad Arif and Dr Javald Ghani also spoke on the occasion.