Social Welfare Minister Dr AZM Zahid Hossain on Tuesday stressed the importance of expanding community-based physiotherapy services across the country to make healthcare more accessible and affordable.

“Globally, to reduce medical expenses, the focus is shifting towards community-based physiotherapy. Patients no longer need to rely solely on conventional healthcare centres; services must reach their homes and neighbourhoods,” he said while addressing a discussion held at the National Press Club in the city.

The program titled “Role of Physiotherapy in the Prevention, Management, and Rehabilitation of Cardiovascular Diseases and Stroke” was arranged by a pro BNP platform, the Physiotherapists Association of Bangladesh (PAB) to mark the World Physiotherapy Day 2026.

The BNP lawmaker said the Ministry of Social Welfare is already working to facilitate such community-level services to some extent through the National Foundation for Development of the Disabled.

He said, “The actual rehabilitation of stroke or paralyzed patients begins after they are discharged from the hospital.”

“To ensure patients can return to an active life, extending scientific physical therapy to the community level is vital,” he added.

However, he strongly warned the people against seeking treatment from unqualified individuals or 'quacks' in their localities.

“Physiotherapy is not a simple massage; it is a highly scientific, medical-allied discipline. If implied incorrectly, it can severely worsen a patient's condition,” he said.

He also expressed hope that the newly formed professional council for physiotherapists’ will ensure the quality of community-level practitioners and protect people from exploitation.

He urged all Medical professionals to work as complementary forces rather than competitors to deliver services to the people's doorsteps.

PAB President Kamruzzaman Kollol, who chaired the event, pledged to ensure standard physiotherapy services for people at all levels of society.

The platform placed a two-point demand to the government to establish a dedicated College of Physiotherapy and create specific posts for physiotherapists in all government hospitals.

BNP Family Welfare Affairs Secretary Dr Rafiqul Kabir Labu, NIMS Director and Bangladesh Society of Neurosurgeons Secretary General Prof Dr Nuruzzaman Khan,among others, spoke at the event.