Will use of ‘Dr (PT)’ title lend clarity to identity of physiotherapists

Will use of ‘Dr (PT)’ title lend clarity to identity of physiotherapists

Rajlakshmi.Ghosh@timesofindia.com 29.09.2025

The confusion surrounding the use of the prefix ‘Dr’ and ‘suffix ‘PT’ for physiotherapists is impacting aspirants’ perception of the profession, requiring an immediate resolution of the issue, to make an informed decision about the Bachelor of Physiotherapy (BPT) programme. 

Two contradictory directives issued by the DGHS recently created ambiguity among NEET qualified/appeared candidates. Earlier in the month, the DGHS announced that physiotherapists cannot use the prefix ‘Dr’, emphasising that the practice is misleading and legally untenable. However, within a week, announcement was retracted and the regulatory bodies will now take a final call after examining the case. The NCAHP suggested that physiotherapists can use the prefix ‘Dr’ and suffix ‘PT’. Yagna Shukla, chairperson, NCAHP, says, “For the first time, it formally recognised physiotherapists’ right to use ‘Dr’, provided they also used the suffix ‘PT’ to make their professional identity clear. It was a long-awaited recognition of their role as autonomous healthcare professionals.” It would be wrong to look to the Indian Medical Degrees Act, 1916 that the DGHS had referred to in its first letter, to justify the need to remove the ‘Dr’ and ‘PT’ titles. Shukla says that it is a colonial law, written 109 years ago to curb quackery at a time when only MBBS-equivalent doctors were recognised. “Applying it rigidly in 2025 ignores the fact that healthcare is now multidisciplinary, with dentistry, physiotherapy, and psychology functioning as independent professions,” she adds. Physiotherapy being an allied health profession, the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation specialists and orthopaedics claimed that the ‘Dr’ prefix is not in consonance with NMC Act, and once physiotherapists start using the ‘Dr’ prefix, it would be difficult to differentiate between a doctor who has done an MBBS-MD, and a physiotherapist who has done BPT.