Biannual ANOT Conference was organised at Green Pastures Hospital on 6th May 2022 with the theme “Passion, Purpose, Possibility”.
ANOT stands for Association of Nepal Occupational Therapists. According to ANOT, just ten Occupational Therapists are working in Nepal.
The guest speakers for the Conference were Dr Wim Brandsma, a Hand Therapy Expert from the Netherlands and Sarah Riggsbee, a Speech-Language Pathologist based in GPH.
When asked about the purpose of such a meetup, the Occupational Therapist of GPH, Dorothy Das, said, “Such meet helps us discuss our issues, get updates from other experts, and give us how we can advocate for the Occupational Therapy at the government level.”
OT specialist Megan who travelled from Kathmandu for the Conference, said, “This ANOT Conference is a platform which helps motivate and encourage our fellow OTs, especially the younger ones, and I am glad to be a part of it.”
The Biannual Conference, which was supposed to be organised twice a year, has been halted for three years due to COVID-19.
Occupational Therapists help people become independent in their lives through the therapeutic use of everyday activities, creating endless possibilities for the client.
The programme saw a presentation from GPH about the history of Occupational Therapy services in Nepal, which was started in GPH back in 1985, and how it was back then and now.
There were nine participants from Kathmandu, Surkhet, Palpa and Pokhara.
The Conference commenced with the formal opening session in the presence of Dr Arun K. Budha (Hospital Director of GPH), Suman Tamang (Medical Superintendent of GPH), Khadga Singh Gurung (Allied Health In-charge of GPH), and the participants.