The new faculty of medical rehabilitation has been launched in the University of Medical Sciences, Ondo State. During the inauguration, Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof Adesegun Fatusi said the faculty is to train rehabilitation experts and provide quality rehabilitative services.

Prof Adesegun noted that there was a scarcity of medical rehabilitation personnel in Nigeria, stressing that the need for medical rehabilitative services was on the increase because it contributes to the development of human functional capacity and improves a person’s interaction with the surrounding environment.

While lamenting the fact that few public universities in Nigeria offer medical rehabilitation courses, the VC said the institution had initiated steps to commence degree programmes in four new areas in addition to the current programme in physiotherapy, which included occupational therapy, prosthetics and orthotics, speech therapy and audiology.

Furthermore, Registrar of the Medical Rehabilitation Therapists Board of Nigeria, Dr Akanle Olufunke decried the shortage of medical rehabilitation professionals in the country and called on universities and colleges of medicine across the country to consider the training of physiotherapy and medical rehabilitation professionals.