UNIBEN begins physiotherapy programme

As part of efforts to boost the training and practice of physiotherapy in the country, the University of Benin (UNIBEN) has started admitting the first set of students into the Department of Physiotherapy for the award of Bachelor of Science degree (B.Sc).

Confirming the development to The Guardian, Head of the Department (HOD), Dr Israel Kayode Oke, stated that the training of physiotherapy students in the university would help to bridge the current gap in the field of rehabilitation medicine.
Oke, a physiotherapist, who said the programme has been accredited by National Universities Commission (NUC), promised to ensure that international standards are maintained in the training of students.

Physiotherapy, which is the medical specialty that remediates impairments and promotes mobility, function, and quality of life through examination, diagnosis and physical intervention through mechanical force and movements, is highly needed by stroke, hypertensive and diabetic patients as well as sports men.

Although highly needed in the country, physiotherapists are in short supply in Nigeria, as most Nigerian universities have not laid emphasis on the training of these professionals. In addition to this, the few Nigerians trained physiotherapists have travelled out of the country in search of greener pastures.

UNIBEN is the first and only university offering physiotherapy course in the South-South geopolitical zone, and one of the few universities doing so in the federation.