Rehabilitation sciences play pivotal role in fighting disabilities: HEC chief

Islamabad
Modern day advancements in rehabilitation sciences can play a vital role in stabilising the lives of disabled people, said Higher Education Commission (HEC) Chairman Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed.
He was addressing the closing ceremony of International Conference on Rehabilitation Sciences here on Sunday.
Pakistan’s first two-day International Conference on Rehabilitation Sciences was arranged by Isra Institute of Rehabilitation Sciences, Isra University, in which world's leading scientists and rehabilitation experts discussed multiple issues related to the future of Rehabilitation Sciences in Pakistan.
Addressing the closing ceremony, HEC Chairman Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed said that this is a unique event providing a common ground for the formal as well as informal exchange and flow of knowledge & pioneering events which open up more vistas and enrichment of knowledge for mutual benefits of professionals and practitioners in the field of rehabilitation education and research. The crucial contribution of rehabilitation practitioners in the advancement of healthcare should properly be acknowledged, he added.
Addressing on the occasion, International Conference Chairman and Isra Institute of Rehabilitation Sciences Principal Dr. Naveed Babur said that Pakistan is severely lacking in research work in the field of Rehabilitation Sciences and the government should take measures in this regard so that quality rehabilitation practitioners could be produced. He said that currently almost 3,500 physiotherapists are working in Pakistan, but there is no specific accrediting body to regularise their services. He demanded the authorities to play their role in this regard.
Earlier, the participants of the conference attended plenary sessions, poster and verbal presentations managed by leading therapists and experts. Internationally known rehabilitation expert Andy Charley discussed the role of family medicine in rehabilitation in the UK. In one of the plenary sessions held in the morning, Ayeza Yazdani Abid discussed the development of an individualised educational plan (IEP) and the role of the multidisciplinary team. To create awareness amongst health professionals regarding disabilities, Dr. Irfan Ahmed addressed a plenary session. Nazia Mumtaz, a PhD scholar, discussed the basics and beyond of Speech Language pathology, while an insight to SWOT analysis of physiotherapy profession was presented by Rashid Hafeez Nasir. The comprehensive rehabilitation of people with spinal cord injuries in Pakistan was discussed by Ilyas Syed.
On the occasion, experts presented poster presentations in which different issues were highlighted. A poster presentation on 'Depression, Anxiety and Psychological Adjustment among Amputees' was presented by Saima Waqar, Rehana Noor and Manan Haider. Madiha Shah and Furqan Ahmed Siddiqui narrated a presentation on 'Regular Exercises are Effective to Reduce Insulin Intake in Diabetes Mellitus Type 1: A Cross Sectional Survey'. 'The Impact of Gender on Emotional Intelligence' was presented by Rehana Noor, Tanzeela Nabeel and Naved Shahzad.