The Registrar of the Medical Rehabilitation Therapists Board of Nigeria (MRTBN), Dr. Yusuf Rufai, has called for stronger government action on rehabilitation financing and expansion of the country’s physiotherapy workforce.
He said the measures would improve access to quality rehabilitation services for Nigerians requiring specialised care.
Rufai spoke on Saturday in Abuja during a collaborative training programme organised by MRTBN and Built to Last (BTL). The programme focused on promoting modern rehabilitation technologies among physiotherapists across the country.
He explained that the partnership aims to enhance service delivery through emerging technologies and ensure professional compliance.
“BTL provides rehabilitation technologies used in physiotherapy practice, while the board regulates standards,” Rufai said.
He added that MRTBN ensures practitioners possess the required knowledge and skills to use the technologies safely and effectively.
“The collaboration enables us to understand available technologies and incorporate them into our regulatory framework,” he said.
Rufai noted that the board has shifted from enforcement to greater stakeholder engagement and professional education. He identified limited rehabilitation equipment and inadequate technical capacity as major challenges in the sector.
“The board will promote training and retraining of physiotherapists while advocating increased government funding,” he said.
He warned that using inappropriate equipment could be detrimental to patients’ recovery.
“Using the wrong equipment for a patient’s condition may even be detrimental to recovery,” he said.
Rufai stressed that proper clinical reasoning remains essential in rehabilitation practice and patient management. He also advocated sustainable rehabilitation financing under the World Health Organisation’s Rehabilitation 2030 Initiative.
He disclosed that the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammed-Ali Pate, has approved implementation of the initiative, with rehabilitation financing as a priority area.
Rufai urged the government to establish dedicated budget lines for rehabilitation services nationwide and expand health insurance coverage to include rehabilitation technologies.
“Such measures will support equipment procurement and ensure healthcare providers are reimbursed,” he said.
Earlier, Mrs. Nkiru Jibauku, a physiotherapist, called for increased investment in advanced rehabilitation technologies. She said adopting modern tools would improve treatment outcomes and shorten recovery periods.
Jibauku noted that physiotherapy has evolved beyond traditional massage-based approaches, with advanced technologies now enabling faster healing.
“What previously took about three months to heal can now be managed in six weeks,” she said.
Mr. Tony Odhiambo, BTL Medical Nigeria Head of Sales, said the training connects physiotherapists with modern rehabilitation solutions and seeks to integrate advanced devices into routine clinical practice.
BTL is a Central European rehabilitation equipment manufacturer that produces internationally certified devices designed to support evidence-based physiotherapy practices globally.
