Overview
- A September 9 letter from the Directorate General of Health Services said physiotherapists are not entitled to use 'Dr' and directed its removal from the 2025 physiotherapy curriculum.
- Within a day, the DGHS issued a follow-up communication treating that directive as withdrawn, stating that multiple representations necessitate more deliberation.
- The National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions’ 2025 curriculum had recommended the prefix 'Dr' with the suffix 'PT' for physiotherapists, which remains published.
- DGHS had cited the Indian Medical Degrees Act, 1916, and prior rulings by the Patna, Bengaluru and Madras courts, and argued physiotherapists should work on referral rather than as primary-care diagnosticians.
- The Indian Medical Association welcomed the initial bar but now says it may seek legal recourse, while physiotherapy bodies defend the prefix for doctoral-qualified clinicians; officials have called a high-level meeting to discuss next steps.