The 5th Commission for Health and Civil Protection of the Legislative Assembly of Madeira held hearings concerning a regional decree that restricts the prescription and treatment of physiotherapy to specialist doctors.
António Lopes, president of the Order of Physiotherapists, advocated for the reversal of the decree, criticizing the Regional Government's decision for not recognizing the professional competencies of physiotherapists with higher education.
Conversely, Gil Bebiano Barros, president of the Regional Council of the Order of Physicians, agreed with the changes, citing increased spending on these treatments without clear user benefit and the definition of medical acts.
