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To register all qualified Occupational Therapist including assistants and to keep an up to date record of qualified Occupational Therapists in Bangladesh.
To establish and reinforce standards of Occupational Therapy service provision all over Bangladesh.
To submit a proposal for the establishment of governmental run Occupational Therapy courses in Medical Universities within Bangladesh.
To liaise with other health professionals nationally.
To liaise with international health professionals with the aim of updating and maintaining Occupational Therapy knowledge and standards.

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History of Occupational Therapy in Bangladesh

After 1971, when the glorious war of liberation came to an end, there was a need to establish a center for treatment and rehabilitation of wounded freedom fighters, as well as war-affected civilians. At this critical time in 1972, Professor R.J. Garst, American Orthopaedic Surgeon, specialist in the field of rehabilitation, arrived in Bangladesh. His aim was to assist the Bangladesh Government to find a solution to this problem. Professor Garst's first job was at an Orthopaedic outpatient clinic at Shaheed Suhrawardy Hospital, where his vision for rehabilitation therapy services unfolded. Occupational Therapy was then recognized as a necessary part of rehabilitation for these patients, and hence in 1973, Prof. Garst started the first school for Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy in Bangladesh. In 1976 the first Occupational Therapists in the country graduated with degrees. Unfortunately out of these three graduates, two left Bangladesh after only one year, possibly because of the lack of continued recognition and opportunity. Only one trained Occupational Therapist, Josene Ara, remained in the country. She served as an Occupational Therapist until her death in 2000. She was the first president of the Bangladesh Occupational Therapy Association (BOTA).

These three graduates were the only Occupational Therapists to graduate from Professor Garst's course. Following this, there was no Occupational Therapy course in Bangladesh for many years. In 1995, the Centre for the Rehabilitation of the Paralysed (CRP) introduced an Occupational Therapy course, in response to the continued need for Occupational Therapy services for disabled people in Bangladesh. The first graduates of the course graduated in 1998 with a Diploma in Occupational Therapy. Following this, the course was upgraded to a degree course in affiliation with Dhaka University. Four students graduated with a B.Sc(Hons) in Occupational Therapy in 2001. The Occupational Therapy course is continuing and there are currently 70 students of Occupational Therapy. The course is now accredited by the World Federation of Occupational Therapists (WFOT).

At present there are seven qualified Occupational Therapists in Bangladesh. Four of them continue to work in Centre for the Rehabilitation of the Paralysed (CRP), where one is the manager of the clinical Occupational Therapy department at CRP, and the other three are involved in running and teaching in the Occupational Therapy course. Another of the Occupational Therapists works at the National Institute of Trauma and Orthopaedic Rehabilitation (NITOR) which is the only Government Orthopaedic Hospital. Another works for Interlife Bangladesh, which is an international NGO working in the field of disability. He is involved in training field workers in the use of adaptive devices. The other Occupational Therapist is currently running his own private practice.

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History of Bangladesh Occupational Therapy Association (BOTA)

BOTA was established in 1999, in response to a recognised need by the fledgling profession to join together to promote and create job opportunities for Occupational Therapists in Bangladesh. BOTA received registration by the Government of Bangladesh in 2000. In the same year, BOTA also received recognition from the World Federation of Occupational Therapists (WFOT). The work of BOTA is ongoing in its attempts to promote and increase the activity of the Occupational Therapy profession in Bangladesh. It is hoped that BOTA will be strengthened in the coming years as more Occupational Therapists graduate from CRP's Occupational Therapy course.

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