Researchers call for emphasis on physiotherapy

RIYADH: About 60 percent of health care centers in the Kingdom offer services such as laboratories, X-rays and dentistry, but they don’t offer physiotherapy facility, a study has revealed.
“Physiotherapy plays a vital role in treating patients suffering from orthopedic or nerve problems and helps in preventing the condition from deteriorating and reaching the surgery stage,” says the survey, cited by local media on Sunday.
The study has shown that 81 percent of physiotherapy experts at various centers around the Kingdom emphasize on listing physiotherapy as one of the major services offered by health centers affiliated with the Ministry of Health.
The study, carried out by Dr. Hisham Alhadairi, who has a Ph.D in physiotherapy, and Hani Alabbad, a master’s degree holder in physiotherapy, was published in The Journal Of Physical Therapy Science.
It says physiotherapy departments at health centers provide primary care for early diagnosed cases and prevent complications and extra costs.
The two researchers said that one of the strategies of the Health Ministry is to provide health care by establishing primary care centers that offer preventive and rehabilitation services. This is reflected in the increased number of primary health care centers from 1,925 in the year 2017 to 2,259 in 2012.
The researchers said the second biggest sector of those who visit outpatient clinics in hospitals have bone or nerve ailments because of sedentary lifestyle. Over 60 percent of Saudis indulge in very little physical activity, which poses more burdens to health care, the study said.