NEET Exam Compulsory with 1-year Internship for Physiotherapy Programme; Check Details

Physiotherapy graduates in India can now add a 'Dr' to their names, but only with a 'PT' suffix, to differentiate themselves from medical graduates and PhDs.

NCAHP (National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions) and MoHFW (Ministry of Health and Family Welfare) has framed new syllabi for 10 allied health science courses, including optometry, health information management and physiotherapy programme in order to standardise quality from 2026-27. 

As per the new guidelines, admission to physiotherapy programme will now require National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET-UG) scores for admission to the programme. Further, students will be required to undergo a year-long internship once their graduation is completed. 

These constitute some of the improvements that a new competency-based curricula for physiotherapy and nine other allied health science subjects hope to put into effect.  The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) and the National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions (NCAHP) issued these guidelines this week.

The revised syllabus handbooks, which were launched on Wednesday, aim to improve the model curriculum developed by MohFW in for seven allied healthcare professions (AHP). They are:

• Physiotherapy
• Optometry
• Dialysis treatment
• Health Information Management
• Medical radiology and imaging technologies.
• Radiotherapy Technology
• Operation theatre technology

The use of the honorific 'Dr' by physiotherapists has been an emotive issue.  The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has strongly condemned the practice, stating that only those practising modern systems of medicine or AYUSH should be considered doctors and permitted to use the title 'Dr'.  On the other hand, the Indian Association of Physiotherapists (IAP) has stated that the IMA is not the appropriate organisation to access physiotherapists' statutes.

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