World Physiotherapy Press release
3 January 2023
For immediate release
World Physiotherapy welcomes new member organisations
World Physiotherapy now represents 600,000 physiotherapists around the world, through its 127 member organisations.
Jonathon Kruger, World Physiotherapy chief executive officer, said: “World Physiotherapy is committed to expanding our membership to ensure that physiotherapists around the world benefit from the networking, support, and collaboration platform that we provide to our community.”
Membership of World Physiotherapy for National Association of Physiotherapists of Angola, Association of Physiotherapists (Guatemala), Oman Physical Therapy Association, Order of Physiotherapists (Portugal) took effect from 1 January 2023.
Victoria Fortunato, National Association of Physiotherapists of Angola president, said: “For Angolan physiotherapists, the acceptance of our association by World Physiotherapy is a great victory, as we will gain experience with professionals from all over the world affiliated with World Physiotherapy, as well as demonstrate a little of what we do in our country in terms of physiotherapy. We are ready to participate and collaborate in any training in the area of physiotherapy.”
António Lopes, Order of Physiotherapists president, said: “We are proud to join World Physiotherapy.
“This important step is the culmination of the membership transfer from the Portuguese Association of Physiotherapists (APFISIO), representing Portugal since 1963, to the Order of Physiotherapists (Ordem dos Fisioterapeutas), and both organisations are working towards a smooth and consensual transition.
“Being part of the great World Physiotherapy global family will certainly keep on boosting physiotherapy’s value as a self-regulated health profession in Portugal.
“Finally, we would like to congratulate the other three new member organisations: we can only be stronger together!”
At the general meeting held in Geneva in May 2019, the member organisations approved a new constitution, which allows for electronic voting outside a general meeting on resolutions that relate to the approval of an organisation’s application for membership.
In 2022 World Physiotherapy had 125 member organisations, of which 78 (62%) took part in the electronic vote. A simple majority of the number of World Physiotherapy member organisations is required to approve applications for admission to membership of World Physiotherapy. The electronic vote was conducted using the online voting platform Election Buddy.
In December 2022, the board of the Polish Chamber of Physiotherapists voted to leave World Physiotherapy. This is the first time a member organisation has resigned from World Physiotherapy since it was founded in 1951 and leaves physiotherapists in Poland with no representation, at a global level, for the first time since 1967.
Note to World Physiotherapy member organisations: please use this information in your magazine, journal, newsletter or social media channels. It may also be forwarded to your local or national media.
