The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India has directed that physiotherapists should not use the prefix ‘Dr.’, stating that they are not medical doctors.
In a letter dated September 9, DGHS Dr. Sunita Sharma said the use of the title would be in violation of the Indian Medical Degrees Act, 1916. The directive was issued to Dr. Dilip Bhanushali, National President of the Indian Medical Association.
The DGHS clarified that physiotherapists are not trained to diagnose medical conditions and should not undertake primary care practice. They are required to treat only referred patients. Misuse of the ‘Dr.’ prefix, the letter said, could mislead patients and create scope for quackery.
The letter also cited earlier court rulings and advisories from medical councils, including those of the Patna and Madras High Courts, which barred physiotherapists and occupational therapists from using the ‘Dr.’ title.
This clarification comes in the backdrop of an April 2025 notification by the National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions (NCAHP), which had allowed physiotherapists to use ‘Dr.’ as a prefix and ‘PT’ as a suffix.
The DGHS stressed that the title ‘Doctor’ should remain limited to registered medical practitioners in modern medicine, Ayurveda, Homoeopathy, and Unani. Any violation will attract action under the Indian Medical Degrees Act.
The letter has asked for the removal of the ‘Dr.’ prefix from the Competency Based Curriculum for Physiotherapy approved syllabus 2025, and suggested that a distinct and respectful title be considered for physiotherapy graduates and postgraduates.
-IANS
