NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2011

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1 Dear Members, This newsletter comes to you at the end of a busy 2011 and I hope it finds you all well. I would like to mention a few things that are going on in the AWP region over the last few months. First of all, thank you for everyone who sent pictures and stories about their activities on World Day, they were really wonderful to look at and read. People held a wide diversity of activities and events and physiotherapy was certainly well promoted. The AWP committee has had regular Skype meetings planning for the next few years in the region. We are working on developing a web site as one of our first activities. Hopefully this will get going in so that we can communicate with Members more easily. We have also been discussing the best ways to support countries in the AWP region. We are looking at some on line learning modules and also developing a program around education and leadership. We are working with the Physical Therapy of the Republic of China (PTAROC) in the planning for the 5th Asia Western Pacific Regional Congress which is being held in Taichung, Taiwan in We hope all countries in the region will be planning on attending the Congress and the AWP Regional Meeting that will be held in conjunction with the Conference. Our plan is to have regular newsletters coming out from the Committee throughout the year. To do this we need you to send us news and information. Especially we would like to keep a Calender of National Conferences in the region and other important activities that are occurring in your country. This will keep all member countries informed as to what is happening round about them. At WCPT there was a lot of enthusiasm to move forward in the region and hopefully the committee can help keep this enthusiasm going. I have been fortunate to have been to Nepal, Singapore and Fiji this year and have seen physiotherapists working hard to improve health outcomes in their countries and also to promote physiotherapy. It is really very inspiring. I would like to thank a number of people who have been working hard on our behalf. Dr Margot Skinner on the WCPT executive is always working to promote physiotherapy in our region through her role on executive. I know that this is not an easy job but Margot is tireless in her work. I would also like to thank Mr Jonathon Kruger from the APA. Jonathon is supporting the secretariat to facilitate the work of the committee and others in the region. It is wonderful to have him working alongside us. Thank you to the members of the AWP committee and I hope that we can move forward in to continue to work towards promoting physiotherapy in the AWP region in the best ways possible. Finally I would like to wish everyone a very Happy Festive season over the next few weeks. I hope that will bring peace to all our members and their countries, and that we can join together in promoting physiotherapy in order to assist those in our communities in need of our help. Best wishes Gillian Webb Chair AWP region 1

2 AWP Executive Committee During the15th Regional General Meeting of the WCPT Asia Western Pacific Region elections were held for new Executive Committee. The following candidates were elected for four year terms: Chairperson Gillian Webb (Australia) Vice-Chairperson Usha Krishna-Gfeller (Fiji) Secretary Shin-Da Lee (Taiwan) Treasurer Suh-Fang Jeng (Taiwan) Member WCPT Executive appointed by the AWP Region Margot Skinner (New Zealand) Alternate Member WCPT Executive appointed by the AWP Region Celia Tan Ia Choo (Singapore) The AWP region is reported to be the fastest growing of all the regions and Executive was keen to hear about the activities that have been undertaken our various countries since Congress in June, as well as the opportunity Gayline Manalang has to address the World Health Organization (WHO) Western Pacific Regional Organisation (WPRO) meeting in Manila in October on behalf of the WCPT. In early December Catherine Sykes, the WCPT s Professional Policy Consultant will be presenting at the Symposium hosted by the University of Sydney in collaboration with the WHO on The World report on disability: implications for Asia and the pacific. Contributing authors are Gayline Manalang (Philippines), Usha Krishna-Gfeller (Fiji) and Margot Skinner (New Zealand/WCPT) Margot Skinner WCPT Executive Committee (AWP Region) WCPT Executive Committee Meeting November The WCPT Executive Committee held its first face to face meeting since the Congress on November. A key topic on the agenda was the draft report on the Congress and recommendations for the way forward. From all perspectives including scientific, networking and financial it would appear that the whole event was a resounding success. Executive members were full of praise for the work undertaken by Brenda Myers and Secretariat staff in managing the event. A copy of the full report will be circulated to member organisations when it has been finalised. Executive also discussed WCPT's mission, vision and objectives in depth and considered the projects and plans to be undertaken before the next General Meeting in Some major mapping exercises will now be undertaken by Secretariat staff so that the work can be prioritised at the next formal meeting of the Executive Committee in March. Member organisations, Regional committees and subgroups will be regularly called on to contribute to and participate in project work so do keep an eye on WCPT E- updates, the Newsletter and other correspondence. 15 th Regional General Meeting of the WCPT Asia Western Pacific Region 17 June 2011 A clear highlight for the AWP Region in 2011 was the 15 th General Meeting in Amsterdam, where over 20 member countries attending. Prior to the meeting the member organisations were invited to provide a report into their activities. Some of the themes that emerged from these reports are as follows: There is a great diversity in the members of the AWP region. This is particularly observed when looking at the number of local members each organisation has, and how well regarded the physiotherapy profession is by their local health system. Around the world the physiotherapy profession is gaining recognition as a cost effective evidence based practice. It is clear that there is much to be gained by having opportunities for member organisations to network within the region. At the meeting the Emirati delegates expressed an interest for support to further the profession locally, with the 2

3 Korean and Saudi associations also expressing a desire for networking within the AWP region. s in Hong Kong and Thailand, which are currently campaigning for primary contact status, were keen to learn from those countries that had ready successfully campaigned for this status. The Afghan, Sri Lanka and Nepal associations all reported their appreciation at the AWP General meeting this year of the support given by larger organisations not just for local issues but also to attend such meetings. This is yet another example of how members within the AWP can together achieve better outcomes for the physiotherapy profession. There were differences observed in the qualifications and registration requirements among the different countries of the AWP. While most countries now have an established registration, the Cambodian, Fijian and Pakistani associations are still working towards the full implementation of such a program. There are also variations in how regularly a physiotherapist needs to renew their registration with some countries requiring it annually while others such as Taiwan only need to renew every six years. Qualifications of physiotherapists are now of a significant level around the world with many countries including Kuwait requiring a minimum of a four year degree for registration. In Indonesia and Malaysia, where the minimum requirement is the slightly lower diploma level qualification, are currently advocating to increase the level to degree qualifications, and this too will help in furthering the recognition of the profession. While Macau is still to set up their first physiotherapy school, their members currently receive their education in other countries where the minimum is generally a four year degree. A common bond that spanned the region related to the impact of natural disasters on physiotherapists, their patients and families. From New Zealand up to Japan and then across to the Indian subcontinent the delegates reported on the devastating impact that these events had on their local communities and were still being felt by the local member organisation. The Japanese contingent expressed particular thanks to the support provided in the aftermath of the recent tsunami. It is clear that there are many lessons to be learnt from these events and some preliminary work is being undertaken to make disaster management a focus of a regional summit in the future. Report on 62nd Session of the WHO Regional Committee for the Western Pacific WHO Western Pacific Regional Office (WPRO), Manila, Philippines October 2011 As a non-governmental organisation in official relations with WHO, the World Confederation for Physical Therapy (WCPT) was extended an invitation by the WPRO Regional Director to send an observer to the meeting. The meeting was attended by delegations from 32 Member States. Also represented were three (3) UN offices and specialized/related agencies, four (4) observer organizations, and fifteen (15) non-governmental organizations, including WCPT. The program of work was originally scheduled over a total of five days, but with the efficient run of the meeting all business was covered in four days. The meeting opened with addresses from the WHO Director General Dr. Margaret Chan and WHO Regional Director for the Western Pacific Dr. Shin Young-soo. (These are available at m). 3

4 Major issue for discussion by the meeting included: Coordination of the work of the World Health Assembly, the Executive Board and Regional Committee Non-communicable diseases Antimicrobial resistance Traditional medicine Food safety Regional Action Plan for Malaria Control and Elimination in the Western Pacific ( ) Dengue fever and dengue haemorrhagic fever prevention and control Mental health Action framework for essential medicines Asia Pacific Observatory on Health Systems and Policies Regional Strategy on Human Resources for Health ( ) During the discussion on Non-communicable Diseases (NCD) the WCPT representative was granted an opportunity to present the role of physical therapists in addressing NCD, how WCPT can contribute to improvement of physical therapy practice in the region, as well as the information about the World Health Professions Alliance (WHPA) non-communicable diseases (NCDs) campaign. WCPT became a member of the WHPA in May The Alliance brings together the global organisations representing the world s dentists, nurses, pharmacists, physical therapists and physicians. The WCPT statement was delivered at the continuation of the NCD session on the third day of the meeting. After it was delivered, the Chair humorously asked the delegates how many had been able to meet the recommended physical activity requirements during their stay for the meeting. This was met with the delegate interventions for the session which acknowledged that efforts for controlling risk factors for NCD should be stepped up. Throughout the NCD session, some agreements were noted between the delegates' discussions / interventions on NCD and the WCPT statement. These include: customized programs for NCDs needing to be made across the region, bearing in mind that Member States are situated differently multi-sectoral intervention as the best approach to NCD management, acknowledging that Member States should increase partnerships with civil society, professional organizations, lay organizations and other nongovernmental organizations the character of efforts for NCDs by different institutions needing to be integrated and collaborative applying principles and approaches of primary health care in NCD management In his intervention, the Regional Director pointed out that establishing baseline in this concern is important to identify appropriate starting points for concrete NCD action plans. Eventually, this may mean looking at the available human resources for health. Aside from WCPT consistently communicating the role of physiotherapists in NCD management, figures on the actual number of physiotherapists across the region may eventually need to be communicated as well. In addition to the formal WHO meeting there was also an opportunity to meet with Ms. Pauline Kleinitz, WHO WPRO Technical Officer on Disability who was newly assigned to the regional office. Her work will include a look into disability issues and related services among different WHO Member States in the region, especially in the small island states. The Government of Viet Nam offered to host the next regional committee meeting (63RCM). It was agreed that the 63 rd Session shall be held in Ha Noi, Viet Nam with final dates September. Gayline F. Manalang Jr. President, Philippine Physical Therapy, Inc. (PPTA) WCPT Observer to the 62nd Session of the WHO Regional Committee for the Western Pacific 4

5 World Day 2011 World Physical Therapy Day falls on 8th September every year, and is an opportunity for physical therapists from all over the world to raise awareness about the crucial contribution their profession makes to keeping people well, mobile and independent. The Day was celebrated by many AWP member organisations. For further information please visit the WCPT Website via the following link: Upcoming Conference Please find below information about upcoming conference in the region. If your association has a conference scheduled for please forward the details to wcpt.awp@physiotherapy.asn.au Indian of Physiotherapists 50th Annual Conference (Golden Jubilee Conference) of The Indian of Physiotherapists (IAP) New Delhi India March n.com New Zealand (New Zealand Society of Physiotherapists) Expanding Horizons: New Zealand Conference Wellington New Zealand 4-6 May ysiotherapy.or g.nz/category?action=view &Category_id =443 Japanese Physical Therapy 47 th Annual Congress of JPTA Kobe Japan May anpt.or.jp/17_ english/englis h_02.html Australian Business and Leadership Symposium Adelaide Australia July Hong Kong Philippine Physical Therapy The 8th Pan Pacific Conference on Rehabilitation Manila Philippines November cr.com/ Asia Western Pacific Region 5th Asia Western Pacific Regional Congress Taichung Taiwan 6-9 September