2015 – 2nd Int and 4th National Conference On PMR

The 2 nd International and 4th National Conference on Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation was held from April 10th -12 th , 2015 in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. The conference theme was “creating awareness and bridging the gaps”. Conference was hosted by the Armed Forces Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine (AFIRM) in collaboration with the Pakistan Society of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Army Medical College, Rawalpindi.  There were more than 500 local participants comprising of AFIRM staff, physicians, under graduate medical and allied health care students, PT, OT , SLP, Clinical psychologists and P&O. International speakers from Turkey and UK participated and conducted workshops and delivered plenary lectures.

This conference was the continuation of the successful RehabCon 2014 held in the same city in April 2014. Major General Dr. Tahir Mukhtar Syed, Commandant of AFIRM and conference organizing committee patron and chair opened the inaugural session which featured an address by the guest of honor, Dr Syed Rafi Uddin Kirmani, the pioneer of PMR in Pakistan. Maj.Gen Akhtar Waheed the previous commandant of AFIRM was the guest speaker and delivered a talk on “Disability management and Rehabilitation in Pakistan armed forces: The road covered so far and the journey ahead” He gave a comprehensive overview of the past, current and future perspectives of disability management and rehabilitation services in Pakistan armed forces. It was followed by a talk by Prof SRA Kirmani who is considered the father of PMR in Pakistan.

Prof Kirmani was given a standing ovation by the participants for his lifetime services to promote PMR in Pakistan. He gave a fascinating talk on Physiatrist and future of Rehabilitation Medicine”. He described the historical perspectives on PMR in Pakistan and a narrative of his struggle including a road map for the future. It was followed by two days of rich and interesting scientific sessions on Spinal cord injuries, neuro-rehabilitation, amputee rehab, pediatric rehab, pain management and musculoskeletal disorders.

The conference programme also featured 13 pre-conference workshops on diverse PMR topics including, interventional pain management, kinesiotaping, urodynamics, CP management, Dysphasia-assessment and interventions, chest physiotherapy techniques, medical research and writing in PMR. The number of participants in the workshops exceeded 200. The conference was co-hosted by Army Medical College, Rawalpindi