TEL:
　+886-2-27719631

FAX:
　+886-2-27719634

Address:
　3F-3, No 374. 
Sec 2, Ba-De Road. Song-Shan District. Taipei 105, 
Taiwan

E-mail to Secretary:
　ptaroc@ptaroc.org.tw

E-mail to Webmanager:
　ccm@ccm.idv.tw

Somewhere In Time: Our History

The physical therapy profession was rooted in Taiwan for more than half a century ago; it took the outbreak of polio epidemics in 1950s to bring the physical therapeutic techniques across the Pacific. Since then, the needs to retain physical therapy service and to establish local physical therapy education was overwhelmingly demanded.

In 1960s, WHO sent an Austrian physiatrist, Dr Pirker, and an English physiotherapist, Mr Jacques, to offer assistance in setting up better clinical training and educational program. The first intake, 20 physical therapy students, was enrolled in the School of Medical Technology, National Taiwan University, in 1967. In 1970 NTU established a new School of Rehabilitation Medicine to house the students, which had transformed into School of Physical Therapy in 1992. During the last two decades several universities all over Taiwan had started offering physical therapy degrees in their program. Here and now, physical therapy has become an essential part in healthcare education.

In 1975, the first national organization representing physical therapy, The Physical Therapy Association of the Republic of China, was founded to maintain high standards of practice and provide mechanisms to share information and experience in this profession, nationwide and internationally. The first Annual Congress was held in November 7, 1976. 

The first issue of its official magazine, Journal of Physical Therapy, published in 1976, now Taiwan PTs have always being active in the international platform: PTAROC (Taiwan) is the founding member of the ACPT (since 1981) and has become a full member of WCPT in 1982. Teaming up with other physical therapist societies, PTAROC (Taiwan) also devoted years in making the physical therapy practice lawful. In 1995, the legislation for the Licensing Law for Physical Therapists was passed, the National Licensure Examination for Physical Therapist has been implemented since then. This monumental act has ensured the quality of physical therapy services in Taiwan. By 2000, there were 2,500 licensed physical therapists; the rate of active practitioners was 67 %, equalling to 6.6 therapists in every 100,000 people.

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