“Health” approves the minimum salary for physical therapy

Last week, the House of Representatives Health Committee approved the draft law under notice Eiza Arruda (MDB-PE) which sets the minimum wage for physical therapy and occupational therapy professionals, with a set value of R$4,800. The text has been sent to the working committee, and must pass it and two others before it is sent to the plenary session.

The minimum salary is addressed in the form of PL 1731/2021, approved by the Senate in the second half of 2022, and now includes the minimum salary in the law setting the maximum working hours at 30 hours for physiotherapists. The rapporteur defended the need for the word mainly due to the increasing importance of this category, in which recent technical developments allow “to improve results, shorten treatment times, prevent sequelae and improve the quality of life for a large number of patients who, just a few years ago, did not have this the opportunity.

Isa Arruda also drew attention to the aging of the Brazilian population, a phenomenon that tends to increase the demand for physical therapists and occupational therapists, leading to the need to strengthen this sector. “It is necessary to attract young people to these professions. But what we see today is the opposite. Salaries in most parts of the country are very low: they are an obstacle for professionals who need to be constantly updated,” he noted.

According to the rapporteur, who is a physical therapist, many young people who graduate in physical therapy leave the profession early and migrate to more profitable sectors.

Adriana Ventura (Novo-SP) spoke against the project. “We need to think about the system. (…) There is no point in agreeing to a floor for which there is, in the end, no money to pay. (…) I have been contacted by people who employ physiotherapists, who are very concerned about the consequences “This project. (…) I think it should be a joint construction of physiotherapists, councils and those who employ them.”

Although she did not approve of the project, she stated that she recognized the importance of the profession, as well as the advantage of establishing a salary policy.

The approval was a cause for celebration at the Federal Council for Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy (COFITO). “The Council explained to our parliamentarians that professional development is achieved in several ways, one of which is securing salary. With the approval of minimum salaries, the gains of society, professionals and health are enhanced.”