8 years ago today, Astana.
At the WHO & UNICEF Global Conference on Primary Health Care (25–26 October 2018), countries adopted the Declaration of Astana, renewing the Alma-Ata commitment to health for all.
I was there with the delegation of the Panhellenic Physiotherapists' Association, alongside the World Confederation for Physical Therapy (WCPT). I was scheduled to speak in the mental health session, and on the second day I asked for the floor at the conference.
My point was simple: a physiotherapist sees a patient ten, twenty or more times. That gives us a unique opportunity to educate, to change habits and to promote exercise, where a single consultation cannot. This is why physiotherapists belong in the multidisciplinary primary care team.
Our delegation also signed the Declaration and visited Kazakhstan's National Rehabilitation Centre for children with neurological conditions: 300 children, 600 professionals, modern equipment and no out-of-pocket cost for families.
Eight years on, the goal is the same: prevention and rehabilitation close to people, with physiotherapists as part of the health team. Declarations matter only when they become policy.
Sincere thanks to Pavlos Theodorakis for his unwavering support, which made our participation possible.
🎥 The video of my intervention from the floor is available in the original LinkedIn post.
Δείτε επίσης: Διαπιστώσεις από την Παγκόσμια Διάσκεψη για την ΠΦΥ, Αστάνα 2018
Originally posted on LinkedIn.
