The first-ever World Health Assembly resolution on rehabilitation in 2023 was a key theme in the WFOT President’s keynote addresses during the 13th Occupational Therapy Africa Regional Group (OTARG) Congress held in Arusha, Tanzania, from 24 to 27 June. Samantha Shann spoke about the need for national associations to promote and advocate for the profession’s unique contribution to health and well-being, and for governments to invest in the occupational therapy workforce.
During the OTARG Congress, there was also an opportunity for the WFOT President, WFOT President Elect Dr Tecla Mlambo and executive members of OTARG and the Tanzania Occupational Therapy Association (TOTA) to meet with Dr Mwinyikondo Amir, Assistant Director, Rehabilitation, Geriatrics and Palliative care, Ministry of Health, Tanzania and Dr Hamad Nyembea, Director of Curative Services in the Ministry of Health, Tanzania. Discussions focused on occupational therapy education and workforce planning, in line with the Republic of Tanzania’s National Rehabilitation Strategic Plan 2021-2026. This important document focuses on integrating rehabilitation in national health plans and policies and developing strong multidisciplinary rehabilitation skills.
Further discussions on the occupational therapy education and workforce planning occurred during the visit of the WFOT President to Uganda for meetings with the Allied Health Professions Council. WFOT supports the Uganda Occupational Therapy Association for the development of degree education for occupational therapists, an important step in the recognition and registration of occupational therapists in the health workforce for the Ministry of Health, Uganda.
Similar messages were shared at the 1st Conference on Occupational Therapy and Other Sciences in the Care of Neurodevelopmental Disorders and the Elderly in Angola, when the WFOT President spoke online to senior ministry representatives, highlighting the importance of investing in the development of occupational therapy education and services within universal health care.
