Physiotherapy Placements in India
Government hospital - Through our agreement with the Kerala State Institute of Health and Family Welfare we are able to offer placements in several busy government hospitals providing inpatient and outpatient physiotherapy. Most supervisors speak good English, and making use of the Mayalam lessons provided at the Work the World house can really help you communicate with patients. Facilities are basic, and manual skills will be relied upon, but there is good scope for proactive students to work with cerebral palsy, polio, spinal TB, nerve root compression, fractures and post-polio features.
Private hospitals - In comparison to our Africa programmes, private care in India is more advanced. Hospitals still only have basic facilities, using bikes and balls as well as relying on manual skills rather than electrotherapy, but for proactive students there are excellent placements in intensive care, neuro-rehabilitation, respiratory, outpatients, intensive care, musculoskeletal and in the fields of cardiology and neurology. There is often the opportunity to watch surgical procedures which can really enhance understanding of the human body.
Charity-funded clinics - India has many cerebral palsy sufferers and we work with a charity-funded hospital dedicated to treating children. Physiotherapy and occupational therapy often overlap but it's a great opportunity for those interested in working with the disease.
Don't forget - if your preferred speciality is not listed, give us a call as we can usually accommodate most requests.
Split placements - If you have four weeks or more it is definitely worthwhile thinking about splitting an elective in India. The social, or caste system really does affect the level of care patients can receive. Working in different hospitals and clinics reflects this gap and will give you a better understanding of Indian healthcare as a whole. You will also get to meet people from all walks of life.
Ayurvedic Medicine - Holistic treatment is integral to Indian healthcare and 70% of the population shun modern medicine in favour of traditional care. To complement your hospital placement we run a week long Ayurvedic Medicine course that gives you the opportunity to both learn about and receive treatment, whilst living with a local family. Read more on our Ayurvedic Medicine page.
Check out case studies from students that have taken their physiotherapy elective placements in India.