21 maja, 2021

At the beginning of 2020, the National Chamber of Physiotherapists became an official member of World Physiotherapy. We have been operating together for over a year. What are your impressions of this collaboration? It is worth mentioning that although KIF has been officially in the structures of World Physiotherapy since 2020, our cooperation dates back to earlier years. I am very pleased with our common activities. It is always good to work with an organization that is actively involved in the work from the very beginning and at the same time knowing what it wants. It is the ability to use when new opportunities arrive from the world. From the very beginning, KIF's international activities were aimed at promoting Polish physiotherapy but also to create the global identity of the profession.  This is what I appreciate at KIF. Taking care of Polish physiotherapists is understandably a priority, but you also devoted a lot of work to supporting foreign colleagues. Anyway, this is the key mission of World Physiotherapy - to be a global hub connecting physiotherapists from around the world! Due to the pandemic, this traditional, face-to-face communication has become challenging, therefore we have created the possibility of constant online communication. You mentioned how the pandemic affected World Physiotherapy’s relations. KIF's membership in World Physiotherapy actually began with the appearance of coronavirus. Was it supportive, having KIF and other member organizations onboard during this difficult time? The crisis mobilized everyone to act. Paradoxically, although distant due to lockdown, we felt very close as a professional environment. We were connected by the same concerns: the safety of physiotherapists, their participation in the fight against the pandemic, the transition to telehealth, and problems related to education. KIF has been extremely active in each of the above areas. You have produced videos supporting seniors, COVID patients, office workers, which, thanks to your translations into other languages, we were able to provide to other member organizations. You, on the other hand, have been able to use the materials we shared providing Polish physiotherapists by translating them into your mother tongue. Such a partnership means a lot to us. You are always up to date with the activities of the member organizations. This is impressive considering that World Physiotherapy brings together over 120 countries from all over the world. We summarize KIF's first four-year term. How do you rate our work? I can confidently say that KIF is currently a leader in Europe in an innovative and creative approach to the profession. You show the direction to countries that are deeply rooted in the tradition of the so-called old school physiotherapy. A modern social campaign, films distributed all over the world, but also innovative professional regulations. It puts you at the forefront of progress. A Polish physiotherapist was one of the first to gain the rights to vaccinate against COVID - this is a great achievement! It turns out that KIF is not waiting for the rest of the world to create, research and patent