The roots of physiotherapy can be traced back to the early 20th century when physiotherapists were involved in the rehabilitation of people affected by war and illness.
Physiotherapists continue to be involved in these situations and are often called on to be part of a humanitarian response. This could include providing support to people in conflict-affected parts of the world, being part of humanitarian response to a natural disaster, or working with people affected by pandemics.
We can advocate to make sure physiotherapists have access to appropriate equipment to work safely and effectively.
We have also produced a report on the role of physiotherapists in disaster management, which you can download as a PDF.
Equipment donation
Many World Physiotherapy member organisations and their individual members are involved in programmes as donors or recipients of physiotherapy equipment in different countries.
We have developed an information note, with input from a range of stakeholders (including ADAPT, ICRC, WHO), to help donors and recipients find the best possible solution for the donation of physiotherapy equipment. You can download the information note as a PDF.