○Lee Wan-hee1,2
(1.Professor, Dept. of Physical Therapy, Sahmyook University, 2.Director of Strategic Planning, KPTA)
Background：The Korean Physical Therapy Association（KPTA）has been founded in 1996 and October 2015 will be the 50 anniversary. KPTA has over 55,000 members and there are 16 main branch offices in Korea. There are 49 universities with a 4-year physical therapy Undergrad program, 40 colleges with a 3-year program, and over 3,500 students graduating and successfully passing the national board licensing exams and are actively involved in hospitals, research centers, professional athletic teams, community rehabilitation centers and many local settings as physical therapists.
Challenge for the profession：KPTA has set two long-term goals to be achieved. The first goal is to pursue happiness and freedom of choice in the career of physical therapy, and reduce insurance costs and to expand the rights of the practice of practitioners for the purpose of promoting the health and well-being of citizens. The second goal is to expand the physical therapist scope of practice, which was bound with many limitations since its founding, to actively intervene in the national health promotion, and to be actively interested in elderly fall prevention and other prevention projects.
Current issues and Topics：To improve the quality of the physical therapy education, we are maintaining ongoing close working relationships and communication with the Ministry of Health and Welfare and Ministry of Education, as well as establishing the Institute for Physical Therapy Curriculum and Evaluation center organized with professors and clinicians to unify the current 3-year and 4-year curriculum into one single curriculum system. Furthermore, KPTA is actively working to resolve the dramatic increases in elderly health issues in South Korea by establishing home physical therapy care programs, voucher systems for rehabilitation, personal physical therapy programs for those with disabilities, and for the well-being of industrial workers, preventative action settlement promotions are under establishment.
Expectations for the Japanese Physical Therapy：Over 40 underdeveloped countries in Asia require urgent attention to improve the physical therapy healthcare system, educational and institutional environment. Immediate attention and support is required and realized together to support the developing countries, and there has been a signed collaboration agreement during the Executive Council of physical therapy board of director steering committee meeting that was held in 2014 in Busan, Korea.
