Mobilidade do Fisioterapeuta na União Europeia. O Caso Português

Abstract

Mobility of the Physiotherapist in the European Union. The Portuguese Case Carla Isabel Leão de Sá e Silva Coelho

With the constitution of the European Union and the globalization process, mobility of persons starts to be a common subject. The migration of qualified people is nowadays a regular subject. In this way, we consider that the subject "Mobility of the Physiotherapist in the European Union. The Portuguese Case ", can provide a good starting point for professionals who intend to work in other EU States. As mobility of Physiotherapists has its relevance for the policies of education and health of countries and of the European Union, the education process and the professional qualifications have to be convergent. However it is imperative to get the basic knowledge of the specific regulation of each state, in what concerns to the exercise of the profession. The purpose of this dissertation is to analyse the following questions: (1) Mobility of physiotherapists exists in EU? Which is the profile of the Physiotherapists? Which are the characteristics of the education and qualifications in the different countries? How the physiotherapist mobility does express inside of the European space? Which are the more excellent migratory flows? Which are the regulation foreseen for EU, where is based the mobility of Physiotherapists? Which are the legal bases? Which the necessary procedures? What impediments exist? ; (2) Inside of the problematic previously questioned, how does expresses Portugal? Which are the countries that prescribe attractive and facilitator’s conditions for the mobility of Portuguese physiotherapists? Portugal is an emitting or/and a receiving country of physiotherapists? During the investigation process, we analyse the data of the EU site “Regulated Professions Data Base”, and we concluded that there were no data from all of the EU members; however the 15 first States present approximately all of them. In this context we decided to restrict the study to EU15. We concluded that physiotherapist profession presents a significant mobility in the EU 15, although the number of recognitions requests is decreasing. The EU created communitarian directives linked to the process of professional qualifications recognition, related to regulated professions. Since 20th October 2007 the physiotherapist is related to Directive 2005/36/EC, falling under the General System of Professional Qualification Recognition. Directives imply the existence of a recognized Competent Authority which receives, appreciates and decides about the recognition processes. The formation level that exists in the majority of Member-States, as in Portugal, suggests that this is not a barrier to mobility. Some Member States present unemployment and needs for physiotherapists are higher in rural areas. Germany is the hosting state with higher number of requests, in contrary Holland is the origin state with higher number of requests. Portugal stands in 14th place, both as a hosting and origin State and recognitions demands to Portugal are progressively declining. Concerning to trend on recognition demands from Portugal to other States, it doesn’t present’s a constant pattern. Mobility mostly occurs between neighbours Member-States and between States with language affinity. The analysed subjects suggest that probably language is the most important barrier to mobility.