Rabindra Basnet: Exploring the power of physiotherapy

Rabindra Basnet is a senior physiotherapist at HAMS Hospital. Basnet, 33, regards physiotherapy as a manual art rather than just a treatment with various systematic protocols.

After he had completed high school, a relative from the medical field informed him about the scope of physiotherapy, which prompted him to pursue a course in India.  “At first, I was just going because my parents wanted me to. I wasn’t very interested,” he says.

However, after seeing patients with disabilities during the second year of college, the boy from Pharping changed his mind. He felt compelled to help those in need and make them feel better. And he realized physiotherapy could be the answer to many health issues.

Once he knew what he wanted to do in life, it wasn’t difficult to put his heart and soul into it. During his undergraduate years, he participated in most of the college events. He even earned the title of Mr Fresher and was admired by his teachers and friends for his diligence.

Driven by curiosity and passion, he started getting engaged in different research programs. During the winter breaks, he preferred taking up small odd jobs instead of coming back to Nepal. He says he wanted to work as much as he could.

During his senior year, he worked as a physiotherapist at a hospital in New Delhi for eight months. Eventually, he also joined different hospitals and clinics as a consultant physiotherapist. He even had the opportunity to be the Department Chief of Physiotherapy in 2015, and that was the post he held for two years before returning to Nepal.

After his return, he opened his own clinic and later joined HAMS Hospital where he has been working for six years now. “It doesn’t even feel like work and that’s the best part of my job,” says Basnet. He believes he is doing what he was born to do. He says being able to help people fills him with a sense of peace.

Talking about a 21-year-old patient who had GB syndrome, a rare condition when a person’s immune system attacks the nerves, he recalls how he was able to make him walk. “The patient was on the verge of depression since he could potentially lose movement of his limbs. He could have been wheelchair-bound but now he’s out and about on his motorbike,” says Basnet.

Besides working at the hospital, Basnet has an active social life. He is involved with several sports clubs. He has been associated with cricket tournaments like Cooch Behar Trophy U-19 Match and Ranji Trophy Match in 2011, 13th SAFF Championship, Maldives Cricket Team in 2012 as well as Qatar Airways Martyr’s Memorial ‘A’ Division League Football Tournament in 2019. He has also served in the Nepal Super League in 2021. He has been part of several wrestling tournaments and was involved in the blockbuster movie ‘Sultan’ in the capacity of a physiotherapist.

His primary area of expertise is musculoskeletal physiotherapy—treatment for muscles, bones, joints, nerves, tendons, and ligaments. “My main job is to provide quality care and ensure a speedy recovery,” he says, adding he wants to make patients better as quickly as possible despite the circumstances. Because his abilities and practices revolve around mobilizing the body and boosting patients’ strength, he always meets them in person for accurate diagnosis. Even during the pandemic, he never stopped working.

As a form of home therapy, different massage machines are used in Nepal. But they are mostly used for temporary relaxation. On the other hand, physiotherapy gets to the root of the pain rather than just easing it. It encourages people to seek diagnosis rather than relying on assumptions. Through his work, he hopes to educate people about muscle mobilization and exercise for healthy body movement.

Basnet is quite a cheerful man, earning patients’ trust through both his words and work. At the same time, he can be stern when patients are careless about their health. He has a natural flair for convincing people and makes sure his patients know what they are going through and how Basnet can help them. By doing so, he fills patients with hope, which he counts as one of his strengths.

He tries to educate his patients about exercise, mindful eating, and living a healthy lifestyle, as he is extremely conscious about health and fitness. He plays futsal with his colleagues and friends at least four days a week. To maintain a good work-life balance, he listens to music, watches movies, and spends quality time with his family.

Basnet adds that today’s generation spends a lot of time bound to their office desks and that it can result in postural issues. To spread awareness about how correct posture and gait can prevent a lot of physical problems, he has conducted workshops at various banks and schools. And he intends to keep at it.

He has also participated in many hospital-led campaigns and rehabilitation programs. In 2021, he was honored with Hams Champions for his outstanding performance. In the future, he wants to expand pulmonary rehab centers across Nepal to assist people with respiratory difficulties as well as work on more awareness programs targeted towards pregnant women and the elderly.