UG to review Rehabilitation Sciences Programme – Dr Cummings

Feb 19, 2011 News

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In recognition of the fact that it attracted no more than 10 students last year, the University of Guyana has plans apace to review its Rehabilitation Sciences Degree Programme.
The Programme was introduced for the first time last year by the Faculty of Health Sciences but did not realise the anticipated response. According to Dean of the Faculty, Dr Emanuel Cummings, from all indications the offering of the programme was plagued with a number of challenges ranging from the unavailability of Government loans, the way it was promoted to the fact that several persons were unable to secure time to attend lecture sessions.
The latter problem, he said, was rooted in the fact that the programme was mainly intended to attract persons already working in the area of Rehabilitation Services within the health sector.
“Only about 10 persons applied. Many potential students had issues with getting time off from their jobs. The way it was promoted too needs to be seriously reviewed,” Dr Cummings noted.
Additionally, he revealed that he has since indicated to the University that the name of the programme should be advertised as Physiotherapy rather than Rehabilitation Sciences. He explained though that Rehabilitation Sciences encompasses three areas – physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy.
According to him, Physiotherapy is in fact the aspect of Rehabilitation Sciences that should be placed in the forefront.  “I think that the public would be better able to relate to Physiotherapy rather than Rehab Sciences.
“I have already indicated this to the University because I think we will have to do some career guidance as it relates to this programme.”
Among the students who applied for the programme was one who had initially applied to do the Nursing Programme offered at the University. It was only after being enlightened about the Rehabilitation Sciences Programme that the student decided to matriculate for that programme instead.
“So we realise we need to do more Public Relations work on that and we need to promote more, what are some of the benefits and highlight what are some of the job opportunities.”
With the efforts that will be directed to raising awareness about the programme, Dr Cummings is convinced that by the next academic year there should be a significant increase in the number matriculating for the programme.
He had initially anticipated that with the availability of a Bachelors of Science Degree Programme in Rehabilitation Sciences, the Ministry of Health and by extension the various Rehabilitation Centres and Community Based Rehabilitation Programmes would be able to benefit from the skills of local experts.
According to Dr Cummings it is expected that workers already in the health system will take advantage of the programme and be trained to deal with the issues of disabilities thus paving the way for an improvement in the way health care is delivered to differently-able people.
However, the programme will not only cater to improving the services offered to disabled persons but will also address the need for physiotherapy in the area of sports, Dr Cummings noted.
He said that it was in recognition of the need for rehabilitation services in various sects of society that measures were put in place for persons to specialise in various therapeutic areas. The Rehabilitation curriculum, he related, was designed in such a way that candidates, after two years of the four-year programme, can opt to choose one area of speciality.
“The way we have planned our syllabus here in Health Sciences is that in the first two years of the programme most of the courses are core subjects such as Mathematics, English, Physics and Chemistry.
So it will see them in those years working along with candidates of the Pharmacy and Medical Technology programmes,” Dr Cummings revealed.
And while lecturers are already in place for the core subject areas, the Dean divulged that much support should be forthcoming from universities abroad.
It was just last year Director of Rehabilitation Services within the Health Ministry, Ms Barbara Lawrence, had noted that the introduction of the programme at the university “means a whole lot to rehabilitation services in Guyana.”
She said that the programme was long in coming. “We have been the driving force behind this programme so this means a lot to us to actually see it come off the ground.”
She added that the Ministry of Health has for years offered a Rehabilitation Assistant Programme which is a middle level course. So in order to acquire the few professionals currently in the system, training at the professional level had to be sought overseas, Lawrence explained.
But according to her over the years it was quite a task to retain persons trained in the field of rehabilitation, as the skills they possess are very marketable overseas.
“Persons with this kind of training are on great demand. So we are hoping with a local programme we will be able to retain more of them,” she speculated.
At the moment, Lawrence revealed that there are few local Physiotherapists who are assisted by Rehabilitation Assistants who are versed in merely the basic methods of intervention.
Seven Physiotherapists were trained through the Guyana/Cuba scholarship. They returned in 2009 and have, to some extent, boosted the delivery of service. They were dispatched to areas in Regions Two, Six, Nine and Ten.
There are, however, no local Occupational or Speech Therapists within the system, Lawrence had lamented.
She said that the Ministry has had to recruit persons through Voluntary Services Overseas (VSO) to fill those deprived capacities. And in recognition of the need for trained personnel, Lawrence speculated that some personnel within the health system could benefit from the programme through scholarships provided by the Ministry of Health.
“It could be a very good idea for us to assist some persons especially those in the Regions to access the university programme…” Enough trained personnel, she said, will undoubtedly allow the Ministry to sustain an expanded full-fledge rehabilitation services countrywide.

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