Stroke patients who are getting back on their feet need them. Your favourite cricketer who strained a muscle while trying to catch a ball needs one. A physiotherapist “trains the body so that it can function at the optimal level”, says Shabnam Agarwal, director-education, Nopany Institute of Healthcare Studies (NIHS), Calcutta. The physical training provided by a physiotherapist contributes to both the physical and mental health of individuals and society, she says.

NIHS was started on October 28, 2004, after B.K. Nopany, chairman, Nopany Foundation, felt the need for setting up a private institute devoted to physiotherapy when he was undergoing treatment at Belle Vue Clinic, Calcutta, under Agarwal who is the chief physiotherapist there. It is affiliated to the West Bengal University of Health Sciences (WBUHS), Calcutta. “When we started, Calcutta had only two government institutes offering courses in physiotherapy — the National Institute for the Orthopaedically Handicapped and the Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education and Research. NIHS was the first private physiotherapy college in Calcutta,” says Agarwal.

Physiotherapists work in collaboration with doctors and surgeons to improve and maintain health. For instance, someone who is planning to undergo orthopaedic surgery will not only need pills to reduce pain but will also need physiotherapy before and after the operation to heal completely. In fact, physiotherapists work with medicos in areas as diverse as prenatal health, postnatal health, neurology, osteoporosis, muscular disorders, plastic surgery, joint replacement and cardiothoracic surgery.

A high standard

The institute currently offers a regular four-and-a-half-year long bachelors of physiotherapy (BPT) course and a two-year condensed BPT course for those who have a diploma in the subject. Thirty students join NIHS every year. Twenty of them are admitted through the joint entrance examination (JEE) conducted by the West Bengal Board of Examination for admission to engineering, medical and technological degree colleges for those who have passed Plus Two. Ten students are admitted under the private quota through an entrance test conducted by NIHS for students who have cleared Plus Two.

The annual fee for the regular BPT course is Rs 50,000 and that for the condensed BPT course is Rs 30,000. Students also have to pay other charges for both the courses.

The institute has already built a good reputation even though its first batch of students hasn’t graduated yet. Megha Chowdhury, a first-year BPT student, says, “I heard about NIHS at a counselling session. It is really a very good college.”

Agarwal says her institute has become famous “for being very serious about education”. She adds, “The college has as much discipline as a school. Absenteeism is discouraged. We hire the best faculty. The administration uses student reports to measure faculty performance.”

Ahingsa Priyadarshini, a student of the condensed BPT course, says, “The teachers understand students’ capabilities. They don’t require so much or so little of the students that they can’t cope.” Ajit Kumar Gupta, a third-year BPT student who has a perfect attendance record, says, “The teachers are experienced and friendly. They welcome questions.”

Students are encouraged to take up research by NIHS although it doesn’t currently offer any research degrees. Agarwal thinks that undergraduate research projects will help to build the image of the Nopany brand in the world market.

To match world standards, NIHS is also seeking collaboration with universities in the UK. “We want an exchange programme for faculty and third and fourth-year students,” Agarwal says.

Caring for the future

NIHS expects all its students to find employment after graduation. Students take up six-month internships at the Advanced Medicare & Research Institute in Calcutta at the end of their course. Agarwal says, “Most students will start clinics or take up private practice. Students will also be able to work at hospitals, which need an average of four or five physiotherapists.” Dr Niranjan Ganguly, who teaches anatomy to first-year students, is confident that his students will be able to practise in clinics. “The students here are quite intelligent. They’ll succeed in clinical practice.” Many students will also be able to pursue further studies in India and abroad.

NIHS organises three seminars a year and physiotherapy camps on World Disability Day (December 3) every year to enable students to build “a sense of social responsibility”, Agarwal says. Students also organise events like quiz contests, excursions, sports and cultural competitions. NIHS has a good library and an auditorium. It also arranges accommodation for its students.

Most students are happy that NIHS has enabled them to remain happy with the subject they have chosen. Anurag Jaiswal, a first-year BPT student, says, “We are learning that love and affection count more in physiotherapy than in other medical fields.” Agarwal says that it is the bond of trust that develops between the physiotherapist and the patient that makes physiotherapy very satisfying. And NIHS graduates are looking forward to fulfilling careers as physiotherapists.

Vital Statistics

What is it? An institute that offers courses in physiotherapy.
Who’s the boss? Shabnam Agarwal is the director-education.
When was it started? October 28, 2004.
To which university is it affiliated? West Bengal University of Health Sciences, Calcutta.
What courses are offered? A four-year bachelors degree in physiotherapy and and a two-year condensed bachelors degree in physiotherapy.
Where is it located?
2C Nando Mullick Lane,
Calcutta-700006.
Telephone: 9830329882, 25332869
E-mail:info@nihs.ac.in

Satarupa Sengupta