PT stroke rehab centers in Davao City pushed

Villafuerte during the recent AFP-PNP Press Corps briefing at The Royal Mandaya Hotel said the said proposed ordinance is now at the Committee on Health under the chairmanship of second district councilor Cheche Justol in which the former is also a member of said committee.

He said the proposed ordinance creating the PT stroke rehabilitation center in every district health centers had already passed under the first reading wherein they invited stakeholders, rehabilitation doctors, and other physical therapists.

Villafuerte, who is a physical therapist by profession said he hopes that the proposed ordinance will be approved within this year and be able to establish the center the soonest to give those surviving individuals a second chance to recover their physical body through a free physical therapy.

“I will help in any way I can together with the Department of Health (DOH) and other stakeholders to establish stroke rehab for us to offer free physical therapy. In private clinics, it would cost about P500- P1,000 per session,” he said.

Villafuerte, however, said there is already an existing PT therapy stroke center in Barangay Tibungco  and he wants to replicate this to other districts in the city.

According to him, his family also owns a similar clinic in Calinan Poblacion.

He said stroke remains the second leading cause of death and one of the top five leading causes of disability in the Philippines.

Meanwhile, the city joins the celebration of the World Physical Therapy Day on September 8 with free PT services that will be offered to those patients who need treatment from an injury or deformity.

The World Physical Therapy day is celebrated worldwide to raise awareness about the critical role of physical therapists and chronic pain therapies in keeping people healthy and fit. It also educates patients about healthy behaviors, and restores lost or damaged functionality.

This year’s theme for World Physical Therapy Day 2022 is osteoarthritis.

“We want to raise awareness about physical therapy. What is the role, treatment, and prevention in physical therapy with regards to people with osteoarthritis,” Villafuerte said.

He said osteoarthritis is very prevalent in the Philippines, in fact around 4.2 million Filipinos suffer from this condition.

Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease, in which the tissues in the joint break down over time. It is the most common type of arthritis and is more common in older people.

People with osteoarthritis usually have joint pain and, after rest or inactivity, stiffness for a short period of time. The most commonly affected joints include hands (ends of the fingers and at the base and ends of the thumbs), knees, hips, neck, and lower back.