HEALTH

Physiotherapy courses have many takers in city
J.S. Malhotra

THE growing demand of physiotherapists here and abroad, particularly as seen in the past two decades, is attracting a good number of students to take up undergraduate courses in physiotherapy. Experts maintain that the bachelor's degree in physiotherapy has, of late, become a hot favourite among the students. The chances of job opportunities are more if the students have a degree in physiotherapy than if they opt for traditional courses in arts and commerce, add the experts. There is yet another attraction for the students. They can become specialists in health-related courses within a span of a few years.

Sensing the increasing possibilities of better-paid jobs for physiotherapists in the present placement scenario, several educational institutions here have either introduced the course or have come up with separate physiotherapy institutes. The city has the DAV Institute of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation, the Saint Soldier Institute of Physiotherapy and the Tara Institute of Physiotherapy to tap the potential of the students. Lyallpur Khalsa College and the Apeejay College of Fine Arts have set up physiotherapy departments within their premises.

"A trained physiotherapist has immense employment opportunities abroad. This is evident from the fact that 10 out of 30 students, who passed out two years ago from the college, have successfully secured overseas jobs. The course credentials are duly approved by various international rating agencies, including the Health Professions' Councils of the United Kingdom. Besides, these courses have become an integral part of the orthopedic departments," maintains Dr Narinder Kaur, Head of Physiotherapy Department at Lyallpur Khalsa College.

Dr Rohit Kesar and Dr Nitika Kesar, both physiotherapists, reveal, "Patients suffering from side-effects of disorders related to heart, nerves, muscles and bones need to be provided with a specific exercise schedule to improve their fitness level. The role of a trained physiotherapist is pivotal in such cases. Though there are hardly any vacant posts in government hospitals and primary health centres, the growing demand for trained physiotherapists in private health sector during the past one decade has definitely attracted the student community to the profession."

Dr V.P. Bansal, Principal of the DAV Institute of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation, says, "These days, the mode of treatment is preventive as well as curative. Some exercises are geared towards the prevention of diseases related to bones and muscles."

Physiotherapists, again, play a pivotal role in treating sportspersons. The presence of sports physiotherapists during a sports event is inevitable these days, maintains an expert. He adds that the role of a physiotherapist is vital in total hip and knee replacements.

A practising orthopaedician reveals that trained physiotherapists are much in demand in the North American and the European Union countries. "The sports culture in these countries is entirely different from that of ours. In these countries, even a small sports club avails of the services of a physiotherapist," he says.

SPORTS

Achiever
‘Sports is more about steely nerves than brute strength’
Our Correspondent
Tribune News Service

STRONG willpower is one of the strong points of Mr Nitin Gautam. Recently, this student of the DAV Institute of Engineering and Technology here won the Punjab Technical University Inter-College Cross Country Championship.

The event was held last Saturday at the Shaheed Bhagat Singh College of Engineering and Technology, Ferozepore, where as many as 95 students from various PTU colleges of the state participated. The event was a 12-km race for men held on the main roads of Ferozepore. The race culminated at the college campus.

This second year student of BTech in Electronics and Communication Engineering, has now been selected for the national level championship to be held at Chennai on December 10. He said that he, along with his friend, Balwinder Singh, was now practising for the final round of the championship.

He had participated in the same event last year also and won it. But he failed to make to the national level. "But this time I feel I am more confident and determined to win prizes at Chennai. The DPE of my college, Mr Baljinder Singh Bal, and my coach, Mr Darshan Singh, have been the motivating force. I think I am improving," he says.

"Whenever I am competing, I say it to myself that I can win it and I can do it. This really helps. My coach is very strict. When we make mistakes, he makes sure that we don't repeat them and that we learn from those mistakes," he adds.

It's not just physical strength that is important during races, mental endurance, too, is equally important. "I have seen boys who give up even before crossing the 100-mt mark. They lose confidence," he explains.

"But my worst experience has been at the Cross Country event held at the Giani Zail Singh College of Engineering and Technology, Bathinda, last year. Some participants used unfair means to win the race. Some of them used a motorbike to finish the race fast," he added.

He has also been a part of the basketball team of the college for the past two years, but athletics is his forte. He gives the credit of his success to his principal, Mr C.L. Kochher, who, he said, ensured that all sportspersons got good training and good diet.