Occupational Therapy News OTnews February 2020 | Page 52

FEATURE INTERNATIONAL
Enhancing practice
and teaching experiences
R
omania is at the crossroads of Central,
employed physiotherapists (educated in medical
Eastern and South Eastern Europe.
universities) and kinesiotherapists (educated in
According to the Human Development
sport faculties), who carry out some functional
Index, Romania ranks 52nd and is
assessments and plan intervention programmes for
considered a developing country, despite being one
patients.
of the fastest growing economies in the European
Alba-Iulia County Hospital has 800 inpatient
Union.
beds and a range of specialties, such as surgery,
The occupational therapy profession and its
cardiology, neurology, rheumatology, orthopaedics
identity is emerging in Romania and at present there
and trauma, neonatology and paediatrics.
are only three validated programmes in the country,
The lead rehabilitation doctor is very keen to
in Alba-Iulia, Bacau and Pitesti.
support professional development for occupational
In May 2019, a team of occupational
therapists and physiotherapists, but
therapy and physiotherapy
has limited opportunity to pursue
lecturers from Oxford
this, due to the current legal
Brookes University
framework, which prevents
We hope that the
visited 1 Decembrie
direct employment of
future collaboration will lead
1918 University in Alba-
occupational therapists in
to the sharing of knowledge,
Iulia, Maria Beatrice
state hospitals.
skills
and
understanding
that
Paediatric Therapy
Non-governmental
Centre and the Alba-
organisations
are not
will enhance the practice
Iulia County Hospital,
governed by the same
and teaching experience for
with the purpose of
legislation as the state
therapists, academic staff
exploring the potential
hospitals.
and students from both
for collaboration.
The Maria Beatrice
Currently, state hospitals
Paediatric
Rehabilitation
countries.
are unable to employ
Centre (www.mariabetraice.ro)
occupational therapists because
is a non-governmental organisation
of an issue with the classification of
providing services to 70 children on a
occupational therapists and exclusion from the
daily basis, offering a range of therapies including
Romanian Health Act, omitting the acknowledgement
physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech and
of the occupational therapy profession and its
language therapy, Vojta therapy, hydrotherapy, and
services from Romanian Health Law.
massage therapy.
At present, occupational therapists belong to a
The centre was set up in 2011, by Iulia and
group of ‘specialists in the field of law, social and
Sebastian Onac, parents of Maria Beatrice. They had
culture’.
difficulties accessing therapeutic services for their
As this classification does not categorise
daughter, diagnosed with cerebral palsy.
occupational therapy as an allied health profession,
Anyone accessing therapeutic services in Romania
it is a barrier to employment in hospitals. For
needs to be referred by a doctor who prescribes the
this reason the county hospital does not have
amount of therapy sessions. The majority of children
any occupational therapists, although they have
accessing therapeutic services have a diagnosis
‘‘
52 OTnews February 2020
© GettyImages/emicristea
Sally Feaver, Carol Mytton, Tim Ainslie and Liana Nagy
share reflections on their contribution to the development of
occupational therapy and physiotherapy practice in Romania