Physiotherapists in Veneto have issued a call to regional candidates, urging them to recognize and strengthen the role of physiotherapy in primary care and in local care pathways. The request from representatives of the Professional Orders (OFI) in Verona, Vicenza, Treviso and Belluno and in Venice, Padua and Rovigo aims to make Veneto’s healthcare more sustainable and capable of meeting the real needs of citizens.
The Orders have signed a document on behalf of more than 5,000 professionals, which asks the future regional administration for clear commitments on ten points considered strategic.
Among the priorities indicated the recognition of the physiotherapist as a key figure in primary care and in the management of chronic illness, disability, and frailty, and the introduction of a community-based physiotherapist in Community Houses and at home, in collaboration with general practitioners and pediatricians.
«With this appeal – explains Angelo Papa, president of the OFI of Venice, Padua, and Rovigo – we are asking candidates for a concrete commitment to recognize the value of physiotherapy in the new territorial health model. The aging population and the rise in chronicity demand a deep revision of care: we need a prevention-based, integrated approach, with proximity of services. The physiotherapist is an active participant in this process and can contribute decisively to the sustainability of the system».
The Context
The appeal arrives at a time when the sustainability of Veneto’s health system is being tested by health needs that have changed profoundly, tied to the aging of the population, the increase in chronic conditions, and the demand for closer, more accessible, person- and community-centered services.
In this scenario, the physiotherapist is an essential professional for the territorial care outlined by the Ministerial Decree 77/2022, provided that their professionalism is fully recognized and integrated within the regional organizational model.
The Requests Put Forward
In the document it is also requested that citizens be guaranteed the freedom of choice and self-determination, allowing direct care by physiotherapists in private practice. The measure would help reduce waiting lists.
A further central request is to allow adequately trained professionals to prescribe tests relevant to the rehabilitation pathway and to use ultrasound also in public services, within the scope of their competencies.
The document also highlights the need for:
- strengthen the crackdown on unlicensed practice,
- adopt a strategy to value and retain physiotherapy staff within the SSR (Regional Health Service),
- to promote collaboration with Professional Orders and technical-scientific societies to define guidelines and continuing education initiatives,
- to sustain the development of the profession also in academia and in applied rehabilitation research.
Alongside these aspects, the Orders call for a structured presence of the profession at regional and local tables, including those dedicated to defining the LEA and to the planning of Integrated Health Plans.
Laura Melotti, president of the OFI for Verona, Vicenza, Treviso, and Belluno, states: «Community Houses represent a crucial opportunity to ensure equitable access to rehabilitation care, especially in territories like ours: from the mountainous areas of Belluno to rural zones and up to urban centers. A community-based physiotherapist in Community Houses can make a real difference in managing chronic disease and frailty, catching rehabilitation needs early and reducing inappropriate hospital use. But a structured and continuous presence is needed, not episodic: only then can we guarantee the territorial care that Veneto’s citizens deserve, regardless of where they live. At the same time, a firm commitment against professional unlicensed practice is essential: citizens’ health must be protected by ensuring that rehabilitation care is delivered only by qualified professionals who are properly registered with the Order».
Abbonati a Karla Miller
