Nigeria has fewer than 10,000 rehabilitation professionals for 200m people

…As MRTBN seeks rehabilitation funding, insurance coverage for physiotherapy technologies

Nigeria’s rehabilitation sector is grappling with a severe workforce deficit, with fewer than 10,000 registered medical rehabilitation professionals serving a population of more than 200 million people.

Experts say the shortage is limiting access to specialised care and worsening outcomes for patients living with disabilities and chronic conditions.

The Medical Rehabilitation Therapists Board of Nigeria (MRTBN) is now pushing for dedicated government funding for rehabilitation services, broader health insurance coverage for modern physiotherapy technologies, and accelerated investment in workforce development to bridge the widening gap.

Yusuf Rufai, registrar of the Medical Rehabilitation Therapists Board of Nigeria, disclosed this in Abuja during a collaborative training programme organised by the board and Built to Last (BTL), a medical technology company, aimed at exposing Nigerian physiotherapists to emerging rehabilitation technologies while strengthening regulatory compliance.

According to Rufai, the collaboration reflects growing recognition that improving rehabilitation outcomes requires both access to modern technology and effective regulation to ensure equipment is used safely and appropriately.

“BTL provides rehabilitation technologies used in physiotherapy practice, while the board regulates standards of knowledge, skills, and professional practice,” he said.

“Our responsibility is not only to regulate practitioners but also to ensure that these technologies are properly integrated into our regulatory framework so they are used effectively to improve patient outcomes.”

He explained that beyond introducing practitioners to new rehabilitation technologies, the programme was designed to strengthen professional competence and encourage continuous engagement between regulators and stakeholders, rather than relying solely on enforcement.

“We have moved from simply making policies and sanctioning offenders to engaging stakeholders so they understand the policies, because many instances of non-compliance arise from inadequate understanding rather than deliberate misconduct,” Rufai said.

The registrar identified limited access to rehabilitation equipment and inadequate technical capacity among practitioners as two of the sector’s biggest challenges.

While some healthcare facilities lack the necessary equipment altogether, he noted that in many cases, the technology is available but healthcare professionals require additional training to maximise its benefits.

He stressed that rehabilitation goes beyond operating sophisticated equipment, noting that practitioners must develop sound clinical reasoning to determine the most appropriate intervention for each patient.

“It is not enough to have the machines. Physiotherapists must understand when and how to use them, because applying the wrong technology to the wrong patient could even be detrimental to recovery,” he said.

To address these gaps, Rufai said the board would continue working with stakeholders to train physiotherapists while advocating increased government investment in rehabilitation infrastructure.

He linked the board’s advocacy to the World Health Organisation’s Rehabilitation 2030 Initiative, which seeks to strengthen rehabilitation services by addressing neglected components of health systems, including governance and financing.

According to him, the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare has already begun implementing the initiative following approval by the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate.

A key priority, he said, is the establishment of sustainable financing mechanisms that would make rehabilitation services more accessible and affordable.

“We are advocating dedicated budget lines for rehabilitation across government health facilities. We also want health insurance to cover the use of rehabilitation technologies so that providers can be reimbursed for the services they render,” Rufai said.

He explained that such reforms would not only improve access to life-changing rehabilitation equipment but also encourage healthcare facilities to invest in modern technologies without placing the financial burden entirely on patients.

Beyond financing, Rufai warned that Nigeria’s shortage of rehabilitation professionals remains one of the biggest obstacles to expanding access to care, particularly at the community level.

“In over 60 years of rehabilitation education and since the establishment of the board, Nigeria has registered fewer than 10,000 medical rehabilitation professionals for a population of over 200 million people,” he said.

The shortage, he noted, limits the country’s ability to identify developmental disabilities early, provide rehabilitation services in communities, and educate families about conditions such as cerebral palsy, which remain misunderstood in many parts of the country.

According to him, many Nigerians still attribute developmental disabilities to cultural or spiritual causes because rehabilitation professionals are largely absent from underserved communities where public health education is most needed.

To close the gap in the short term, Rufai said the Federal Ministry of Health is considering training community health extension workers to identify rehabilitation needs, provide basic health education, and refer patients requiring specialised care to appropriate facilities.

In the long term, however, he said Nigeria would require a larger, dedicated rehabilitation workforce capable of delivering community-based services nationwide.

Nkiru Jibauku, a physiotherapist, called for greater investment in advanced rehabilitation technologies, noting that physiotherapy has evolved far beyond traditional massage-based treatment.

She said emerging technologies now support tissue repair at cellular and molecular levels, significantly reducing recovery periods for patients with acute injuries, post-operative conditions, and chronic musculoskeletal disorders.

“What previously took about three months to heal can now be managed in about six weeks with appropriate technology and early intervention,” she said.

Tony Odhiambo, head of sales at BTL Medical Nigeria, said the partnership with MRTBN was intended to familiarise physiotherapists with globally certified rehabilitation devices while encouraging the integration of evidence-based technologies into routine clinical practice.

According to him, exposing practitioners to modern rehabilitation solutions will ultimately strengthen physiotherapy services and improve patient outcomes across Nigeria.