Since physiotherapists are not medical doctors, the Directorate General of Health Services has issued a regulation ordering them to refrain from using the prefix “Dr.”

DGHS Dr. Sunita Sharma wrote in a letter dated September 9 that physiotherapists would be breaking the Indian Medical Degrees Act, 1916, if they used the prefix “Dr.”

Sharma wrote to Dr. Dilip Bhanushali, National President, IMA, saying, “Physiotherapists should not use the prefix ‘Dr.’ because they are not trained as medical doctors and it could lead to quackery by misleading patients and the general public.”

“Because they are not qualified to diagnose medical conditions, some of which may worsen with inappropriate physiotherapy intervention, physiotherapists should only treat referred patients and should not be allowed to practice primary care,” she continued.

The letter also referenced other rulings and recommendations from the nation’s medical councils and courts, such as the Patna and Madras High Courts, that forbade occupational therapists and physiotherapists from using the prefix “Dr.”

The National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions (NCAHP) declared in April that physiotherapists could henceforth prefix their names with “Dr.” and suffix them with “PT.”

The NCAHP, a division of the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, made the decision in conjunction with the introduction of the 2025 Physiotherapy Curriculum.

“It is important to note that the Council’s Ethics Committee (Paramedical and Physiotherapy Central Council Bill, 2007) previously determined that only registered practitioners of Modern Medicine, Ayurveda, Homeopathy, and Unani may use the title ‘Doctor‘”. The DGHS stated that no other group of medical professionals, such as paramedical and nursing staff, is allowed to use this designation.

The letter also stated that, according to the legal opinion adopted by the Council at its meeting in March 2004, any breach “attracts action under Section 7 of the IMA Act for contravention of Section 6 & 6A.”

“The Competency Based Curriculum for Physiotherapy Approved Syllabus 2025 shall immediately discontinue the use of the prefix ‘Dr.’ for physiotherapists. For physiotherapy graduates and postgraduates, a more suitable and respectable title might be taken into consideration, without creating confusion for patients or the general public, the letter stated.