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.