The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) has directed changes in the new physiotherapy curriculum to remove the provision allowing graduates to use the “Dr” prefix, stating it could mislead patients.
In a letter to the Indian Medical Association (IMA), the DGHS said objections were raised by several medical bodies, including the Indian Association of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (IAPMR), against the Competency Based Curriculum for Physiotherapy, 2025.
The syllabus, released in April, had suggested that physiotherapy graduates could use “Dr” before their names along with the suffix “PT”. However, the DGHS clarified that physiotherapists are not trained as medical doctors and should not present themselves as such.
“Physiotherapists are not medical doctors and should not use the prefix ‘Dr’, as it misleads patients and the public, potentially leading to quackery,” said Dr Sunita Sharma, Director General of Health Services.
The letter also emphasized that physiotherapists should practice on referral from doctors, not as primary care providers.
The ministry noted that multiple court rulings — including judgments by the Patna High Court (2003), a Bengaluru court (2020), and the Madras High Court (2022) — along with advisories from the Tamil Nadu Medical Council, have clearly barred physiotherapists from using the “Dr” prefix.
Using the title without a recognised medical degree violates the Indian Medical Degrees Act, 1916, and may invite legal action, the DGHS warned.
The authority has directed the curriculum to be revised immediately, adding that a more suitable and respectful designation for physiotherapy graduates can be considered without creating confusion.