NO LICENSE, NO PRACTICE: WHY MRTB MUST BE AT THE HEART OF PHYSIOTHERAPY ACCREDITATION

NO LICENSE , NO PRACTICE: WHY MRTB MUST BE AT THE HEART OF PHYSIOTHERAPY ACCREDITATION

The Nigeria Society of Physiotherapy (NSP) notes with serious concern the circular issued by the National Universities Commission (NUC), Ref: NUC/ES/138/Vol.65/202, dated 20th May 2025, directing the cessation of multiple accreditations of academic programmes by professional bodies in Nigerian universities.

On the surface, this policy may appear to promote efficiency. But when it comes to health professions-particularly physiotherapy-regulation is not bureaucracy. It is a matter of public safety, professional integrity, and legal necessity.

This is not just about paperwork. It’s about who is truly qualified to care for patients-to guide recovery after injury, restore function after illness, and support lives disrupted by disability.

That’s why the exclusion of the Medical Rehabilitation Therapists Board of Nigeria (MRTB) from this directive is more than a procedural oversight-it is a critical misstep with far-reaching consequences.

1. MRTB Isn’t Optional. It’s the Law.

The MRTB was established under the MRTB Act, CAP M9, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (2004). Its mandate is not symbolic-it is statutory and binding.

The Board is legally empowered to:
-Set and maintain standards for training and professional competence;
-Accredit institutions and programmes that train rehabilitation professionals;
-License only those who meet the required clinical and ethical benchmarks to practice.

You cannot bypass a body that holds the legal authority to determine who can and cannot practice physiotherapy in Nigeria. A circular cannot rewrite the law.

2. You Can’t Accredit What You Don’t License

The reality is, the NUC oversees academic quality, but it does not license physiotherapists. The MRTB does.

So how do you accredit a physiotherapy programme without involving the very body that decides whether its graduates are fit to enter the workforce?

Without MRTB’s involvement:
-There is no professional validation of the training content;
-Graduates may lack legal recognition;
-The profession risks being overrun by unregulated, potentially unsafe practitioners.

That is not efficiency-it is a shortcut to confusion, risk, and institutional disarray.

3. Academic accreditation alone is not enough

Physiotherapy isn’t a purely academic course. It is a hands-on clinical profession that deals with pain, mobility, neurological recovery, disability, and human dignity.

A single mistake-whether from poor training, unethical practice, or lack of oversight-can cost a patient their progress, independence, or even life.

Academic accreditation gives students a place to learn-it ensures there are qualified lecturers, proper facilities, and a solid curriculum. But professional regulation makes sure that what they learn can actually help real people, safely and ethically. One shapes the classroom; the other shapes the practice. You need both to produce professionals you can trust. Because when they don’t work together, it’s not just a gap in process-it’s a risk to the very people we’re meant to serve.

4. This Is About People, Not Power

This is a call for responsibility.
Think of:
-The stroke survivor learning to walk again,
-The child recovering from a road traffic injury.
-The elderly woman hoping to regain her independence after surgery.

They don’t care which body accredited their therapist’s university. They care that the person helping them is well-trained, licensed, and accountable to a professional code.

If we remove MRTB from the picture, we don’t just weaken a regulatory process-we betray the very people we are meant to protect.

5. NSP’s Position: Reinstate MRTB in Accreditation Processes, Without Delay

The NSP calls on the NUC and the Federal Ministry of Education to:
-Uphold the legal mandate of MRTB by ensuring its full involvement in all physiotherapy and rehabilitation-related accreditations;
-Recognize that MRTB’s role is not a duplication, but a statutory and clinical necessity;
-Establish a collaborative accreditation framework that respects both academic excellence and professional safety.

Conclusion: Accreditation Without Regulation Is a Risk We Cannot Afford

This is not just a question of administrative policy. It is a question of consequence.
-If MRTB is excluded, who confirms the competence of the graduates?
-If no one is responsible for clinical standards, who protects the patient?
-And if this gap widens, who bears the cost when things go wrong?

NSP stands firmly for progress-but never at the expense of public trust, professional credibility, or legal compliance. A policy that sidelines statutory regulators is not sustainable, and it is certainly not safe.

MRTB must be part of the process. Because without licensure, there can be no practice-and without regulation, there can be no confidence in care.

NSP PR TEAM