[ISS-01-4] Challenges of Physical Therapists in a Developing Country
In the Philippines, physical therapy was legally recognized as a profession 45 years ago. However, prior to the signing of our practice regulatory act, basic physical therapy services were already made available in a limited number of institutions who were primarily catering to patients with orthopedic concerns. Over the years, the development of the profession in our country was significantly affected by：（1）low professional registration due to low higher education enrollment；（2）maldistribution of registered professionals；（3）migration of Filipino PTs to the US and Middle Eastern countries；and（4）low level of awareness and public demand for PT service. It was only in the 1990s when there was a rapid increase in the number of student enrollees, which subsequently led to a surge in the number of professional registration. Such a deviation from the previous pattern was heavily motivated by the increasing demand for rehabilitation professionals and services in the US. The sudden decrease in international demand by the late 1990s and early 2000s, somehow, proved to be beneficial for the local development of the profession as more practitioners decided to stay in the country, and establish careers, initially, as clinicians and educators. Over the recent years, careers in research, administration and management, policy development, and community development have gradually been explored by Filipino PTs. However, such a decrease in international demand also resulted to a decline in the supply side of the equation locally.
As the Philippines is now experiencing incremental societal changes due to recent economic gains as a developing nation, the physical therapy profession is facing a new set of challenges in answering evolving demands. These include：
（1）Answering the slowly increasing demand for PT services given the alarming increase in non-communicable disease cases；
（2）Resolving the persistent maldistribution of physical therapy services between urban and rural areas；
（3）Managing the continued migration of health care professionals；
（4）Ensuring relevant participation in the regional and global arena；
（5）Monitoring the implementation of a new professional education paradigm（outcomes-based education and graduate program standards）；
（6）Developing involvement and maximizing immersions in professional practice areas；
（7）Amending the dated framework of professional regulation；and
（8）Formulating and implementing more relevant practice act provisions.
As the Philippines is now experiencing incremental societal changes due to recent economic gains as a developing nation, the physical therapy profession is facing a new set of challenges in answering evolving demands. These include：
（1）Answering the slowly increasing demand for PT services given the alarming increase in non-communicable disease cases；
（2）Resolving the persistent maldistribution of physical therapy services between urban and rural areas；
（3）Managing the continued migration of health care professionals；
（4）Ensuring relevant participation in the regional and global arena；
（5）Monitoring the implementation of a new professional education paradigm（outcomes-based education and graduate program standards）；
（6）Developing involvement and maximizing immersions in professional practice areas；
（7）Amending the dated framework of professional regulation；and
（8）Formulating and implementing more relevant practice act provisions.