The President of the Order of Physiotherapists, António Lopes, was present at the presentation and launch of the book "A Compendium of Interventions for the Noninvasive Management of Ventilatory Pump Failure", a compendium of non-invasive ventilatory strategies for severe respiratory patients, by Rutgers University (USA) professor John Bach, considered a "living legend" of respiratory medicine, in co-authorship with professor Miguel Gonçalves, from the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto (FMUP). Part of the book, of around 700 pages spread over 38 chapters, is dedicated to Respiratory Physiotherapy, Miguel Gonçalves' area of expertise, and he is also a member of the General Council of the Order of Physiotherapists. The launch ceremony took place on 1 July at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto and was attended by several physiotherapists.
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Meeting of the Order of Physiotherapists with SOCIFIN Portugal
Physiotherapists: professional liability insurance
Professional civil liability insurance is now in force, following the public tender promoted by the Order of Physiotherapists. The winning proposal from Fidelidade - Companhia de Seguros S.A., to be carried out by Willis, Corretores de Seguros S.A., offers specific conditions and guarantees for all Physiotherapists registered with the Order who have not had their registration suspended or cancelled. You can consult the policy and Frequently Asked Questions about professional civil liability insurance at reserved area.
By taking out this insurance, the Order is thus responding to the legal obligation for all members to have civil liability insurance and remains committed to building the foundations of a strong Order of Physiotherapists that regulates the profession and represents its professionals, while also protecting the users of physiotherapy services.
Competition
- Public Tender for the Acquisition of Professional Civil Liability Insurance Services for Members of the Order of Physiotherapists.
- Deadline for submission of tenders: 6pm on 29/03/2022 (Article 11(1) of the CP)
- Deadline for submitting requests for clarification - 6pm on 16/03/2022 (Art. 4(2) of the CP)
- Insurance brokers can be competitors.
*2nd series, no. 48 of 09/03/2023, Part L - Public Tenders
Proposals received
After the deadline, the following proposals were received by e-mail:
| Company | Tender submission date | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Melior Insurance | 29/Mar | 11:43 |
| Lusitania | 29/Mar | 15:37 |
| Willis - Insurance Brokers | 29/Mar | 17:48 |
| New-Call - Insurance Mediation | 29/Mar | 18:07 |
Proposals Accepted / Excluded
By decision of the jury, the bidders' proposals were considered admissible:
- Melior Insurance
- Lusitania
- Willis - Insurance Brokers
The application from New-Call - Mediação de Seguros was rejected because it did not submit its proposal by the deadline, nor did it submit all the documents required in the tender specifications.
President of the Order of Physiotherapists took part in the discussion of the Strategic Plan of the Santa Maria School of Health
The President of the Order of Physiotherapists, António Lopes, was invited to take part in the discussion of the Strategic Plan of the Escola Superior de Saúde de Santa Maria (ESSSM) for the years 2023-2027, which took place on 4 June at the Colégio Luso-Francês in Porto, with the presence of the Board of Directors, Teachers, Employees, Students and Partners of ESSSM.
With a reflection centred on the history and future of Physiotherapy, the President presented the integrated perspective of the work that the Order is doing to develop and affirm the profession. António Lopes pointed out that there are three driving forces behind the development of the profession: one centred on the regulatory (legislative) framework and planning of human resources in the health area; one centred on the production and preparation of the necessary human resources and a third that employs existing human resources. He emphasised that although each pole has different actors, decision-makers and dynamics, the three influence each other and a change in one pole can have an impact on the others.
From this reflection come the three pillars that guide the mandate of the current Board of the Order of Physiotherapists:
- Physiotherapy, as a scientific discipline (a hub for basic and specialised education and research);
- Physiotherapy as a regulated profession (pole of the regulatory framework - to which self-regulation has now been added, and the redefinition of the professional profile, the creation of the code of ethics and technical standards;
- Physiotherapy as a service (a centre for the employment and use of physiotherapists, in a variety of sectors and contexts).
In this context, the President took the opportunity to emphasise the importance of joint and regular work between higher education institutions and the Order of Physiotherapists, in order to maximise the gains that the Order's regulatory role could have on education and the effective provision of physiotherapy services.
13th General Assembly of the "World Physiotherapy Europe Region"
The President of the Order of Physiotherapists, António Lopes, was present as an observer at the 13th General Assembly of the "World Physiotherapy Europe Region", which took place on 19 and 20 May in Prague, Czechia. The participation of António Lopes, who has already been chairman of this organisation between 1998 and 2010, allowed him to find out about the work in progress and the priorities for the next two years of activity, which the Order will take on when it becomes a member. The Order of Physiotherapists has already applied to join World Physiotherapy, with effect from January 2023.
Among the projects underway at World Physiotherapy are the programme to publicise the importance of physiotherapy in the prevention and rehabilitation of oncological conditions, as part of the European plan entitled "EU Commission Beating Cancer Plan", and "InAbled Cities: Developing Inclusive urban environments for physical activity for people with disabilities and senior citizens", a programme that aims to promote physical activity in urban environments for people with disabilities and/or over 65.
At the 13th General Assembly of the World Physiotherapy Europe Region, issues related to the support and development of physiotherapy research and the definition of the minimum competences that should be required in initial training for access to the profession were also addressed.
By participating in this regional organisation of World Physiotherapy, the Order of Physiotherapists aims to maintain a close relationship and interaction with the organisations representing physiotherapists from the 37 countries that make up the Order.
To find out more about the Europe Region of World Physiotherapy visit - https://www.erwcpt.eu/
Meeting of the Order of Physiotherapists with the Portuguese Association of Physiotherapists
The Board of the Order of Physiotherapists (OF) met with the new National Board of the Portuguese Association of Physiotherapists (APFISIO).
The meeting, which took place on 10 May, was attended by President António Lopes and members Pedro Rebelo and Afonso Neutel, representing the Order, and President Maria João Bigode and Vice-President Sérgio Neto, representing the Association.
Greetings were presented to APFISIO's newly elected governing bodies and the most relevant issues of the institutional relationship between the Order and the Association were analysed, under the terms of the memorandum of understanding signed in 2020, in which it was agreed to establish the progressive and necessary conditions so that, as soon as possible, the Order of Physiotherapists will have a seat, by affiliation, in World Physiotherapy.
In this context, the Order, as the structure that regulates Physiotherapy and Physiotherapists in Portugal, informed that it would formalise its candidacy for the World Physiotherapy (WP), with effect from January 2023, and APFISIO naturally recognised this candidacy.
In order not to suddenly interrupt the work that has been carried out by APFISIO's Interest Groups, which would automatically lose international representation at the WP, the Order of Physiotherapists has guaranteed that it will ensure that the endorsement of all the groups, on a transitional basis, until the Order's own representative structures are in a position to take on membership of the international organisation.
The endorsement will be analysed in due course by the Order with each Interest Group individually and with APFisio's National Board of Directors, depending on the characteristics and needs of each one.
The Order of Physiotherapists and the Portuguese Association of Physiotherapists also agreed to hold regular meetings to clarify their respective roles in pursuing the goals of developing physiotherapy in Portugal and increasing literacy as an important step in affirming the profession.
Meeting with the Portuguese Association of Private Higher Education
The Board of the Order of Physiotherapists met with the Portuguese Association of Private Higher Education on 9 May with a view to collaborating strategically with higher education institutions that train in physiotherapy, while respecting their pedagogical and scientific autonomy.
As such, this was the meeting:
- Greetings and availability for collaboration with both APESP and the individual HEIs,
- A summary of the Order of Physiotherapists' Activities Plan;
- The various possible inter-institutional forms of collaboration are envisaged, particularly with regard to undergraduate, master's and doctoral training.
Polytechnic Institute of Setúbal - Taking of Office
The President of the Order of Physiotherapists, António Lopes, attended the swearing-in ceremony of the President of the Polytechnic Institute of Setúbal, Professor Ângela Lemos.
The ceremony took place on 27 April in the Noble Auditorium of the IPS School of Business Sciences/School of Health building, where the President of the Coordinating Council of Polytechnic Higher Institutes (CCISP), Maria José Fernandes, also took office.
ENEFFt 2022, the Order of Physiotherapists was present
The Board of the Order of Physiotherapists was present at the National Meeting of Physiotherapy Students (ENEFt), which took place between 8 and 12 April 2022. The participation of the Order was attended by the President, Professor António Lopes and the members of the Board, Physiotherapists Afonso Neutel Pedro Rebelo.
On 9 April, the Order was present at the Opening Table and held a working meeting with the National Association of Young People in Physiotherapy (ANJF), where the main priorities for the development of Physiotherapy in Portugal were discussed and the main concerns of young people in Physiotherapy were heard. The Board of the Order and the ANJF intend to hold regular meetings with the aim of promoting the collaborative development of Physiotherapy in Portugal. This meeting was attended by Professor António Lopes and physiotherapist Afonso Neutel, representing the Order. On behalf of the ANJF, the President was Physiotherapist Teresa Miguel, the Treasurer was Physiotherapist Sofia Tavares and the members were Ana Rosa Coelho, Beatriz Silva and Constança Carreira.
On 11 April, the Order was present at the Fisiomeeting with the theme "What's changing with the Order", in which Physiotherapist Pedro Rebelo had the opportunity to address the topic, which took place in a very proactive and enriching way, in a question and answer format, allowing an important and enlightening message to be passed on about the role of the Order.
