Karnataka Minister for Medical Education and Skill Development Sharan Prakash Patil, on Friday expressed the state government’s support for the move.
Published Apr 25, 2025 | 5:54 PM ⚊ Updated Apr 25, 2025 | 5:54 PM
Physiotherapists can use the title ‘Dr’ as a prefix, provided that ‘PT’ is also used as a suffix to their names. (iStock)
Synopsis: Physiotherapists may now use the title ‘Dr’, provided they add the suffix ‘PT’, following a new directive from the National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions. Admissions to physiotherapy courses will be brought under the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test, with course duration extended to five years to include an internship and enhance clinical exposure.
The National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions (NCAHP), on Wednesday, 23 April, announced that physiotherapists can use the title ‘Dr’ as a prefix, provided that ‘PT’ is also used as a suffix to their names, The Indian Express reported.
Additionally, admissions to physiotherapy courses will now fall under the purview of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), while the duration of the physiotherapy programme has been extended to five years to enable competence-based learning and deeper clinical exposure.
Speaking at the inauguration of Karnataka Physiocon-25, an international conference on physiotherapy held at Bangalore Palace Grounds, Karnataka Minister for Medical Education and Skill Development Sharan Prakash Patil, on Friday, 25 April, expressed the state government’s support for the move.
“We welcome the integration of physiotherapy courses under the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), which will enhance academic quality and professional standards,” he said.
“Physiotherapists today contribute significantly to neuro and orthopaedic rehabilitation, cardiopulmonary care, paediatrics, disability support, sports medicine, fitness, and community-based care.”
Patil also said Karnataka is planning to introduce physiotherapy courses in more government colleges to meet the growing domestic and international demand for trained professionals.
The use of the title “Dr” by physiotherapists in India has long been a subject of debate.
The Indian Medical Degrees Act of 1916 governs the use of medical titles in the country. It bars individuals from using titles that suggest qualifications in Western medicine unless they hold recognised medical degrees. The law is aimed at preventing unqualified people from presenting themselves as medically trained professionals.
The National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions Act, introduced in 2021, sets standards for the education, practice and registration of allied and healthcare professionals. It covers fields such as physiotherapy, occupational therapy, nutrition science, trauma care, and medical laboratory sciences. However, the law does not explicitly clarify whether these professionals are entitled to use the “Dr” prefix.
On Wednesday, the National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions (NCAHP) released new syllabus handbooks for allied health sciences in a bid to standardise curricula and improve academic quality, Careers360 reported.
The revised syllabi update model curricula originally developed by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in 2015–16 and 2017, covering seven allied healthcare disciplines:
The changes are part of a wider national initiative to unify and raise standards in allied health education and professional practice.
As part of the reform, students will now be required to complete a year-long internship following graduation – similar to the structure followed in Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) programmes – extending the total course duration from four and a half years to five years.
These are among several measures introduced under the new competency-based curricula for physiotherapy and nine other allied health science disciplines.
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
