PHYSICAL therapists in Pakistan face an uphill battle. One of the biggest challenges is the lack of structured house jobs and internship opportunities offered or arranged by their respective educational institutions. Most of the students in these so-called prestigious institutions are deceived by their reputations.
They believe that they are stepping into a world of endless opportunities and that these institutes will offer internships, house jobs or jobs to their own graduates. However, reality hits them hard when these institutions wash their hands off the responsibility.
A new struggle begins when oppor-tunities remain beyond their reach. They either get internships on the basis of personal contacts rather than competence, which are mostly unpaid, or are left in the lurch as they struggle to envision a future after spending their parents’ hard-earned money. The government should take steps in order to tackle this situation. Strict regulations should ensure that the universities offering such programmes are not merely making empty promises, and are affiliated with hospitals to provide hands-on training to the graduates.
Moreover, if the field has been saturated already, flooding it with more graduates should be avoided. Without due action, graduates will find themselves jobless.
ERAJ SHAKEEL
ISLAMABAD
