Forging bonds between Physiotherapy Departments of Colombo University and CMC Vellore, India

Stronger bonds between the Physiotherapy Departments of the Department of Allied Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo and the Christian Medical Collage (CMC), Vellore, India have been forged following a recent observation visit by Senior Lecturer Dr. D.G.S.K.L. Jayawardana of the local Department of Allied Health Sciences.

The visit with the support of the India-Sri Lanka Foundation was useful not only in strengthening the links between the Physiotherapy Departments but also in improving the Physiotherapy Degree Programmme at the Allied Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, said Dr. Jayawardana soon after her return.

Dr. Jayawardana who on October 15 met the CMC’s Head of the Department of Physiotherapy, Andrew Babu, held extensive discussions on the curricula of the B.Sc Physiotherapy Degree and M.Sc in Physiotherapy at the CMC; physiotherapy teaching and learning methods at the CMC; clinical teaching arrangements for B.Sc Physiotherapy undergraduates at the CMC; collaborative research projects; and the possibility of resource persons from the CMC visiting the Department of Allied Health Sciences to support it in curriculum revisions and to initiate a Master’s Programme.

She also had a week’s clinical attachment at the Dr. Mary Verghese Institute of Rehabilitation where physiotherapy undergraduate clinical teaching programmes are carried out by the CMC, getting an insight into spinal cord rehabilitation, head injury rehabilitation, paediatric physiotherapy and gait analysis.