The community based rehabilitation (CBR) program was established in the mid 1980s, mainly relying on the PHC set of services offered by PMRS in the different regions.

Community participation and activation have been major pillars in the building of PHC networks by PMRS. The CBR Program adopted its community-based approaches on the basis of this experience, going beyond the limits of the curative biomedical approach, represented by the prevailing then model of physiotherapy services, to adopt a community-based approach towards rehabilitation, making social integration of disabled persons a major goal for the rehabilitation process.

The CBR Program has been developing steadily within the overall growth and expansion of PMRS in terms of links to the community and wider coverage by services

The CBR Program has witnessed a notable progress in terms of its philosophy, tolls and coverage.

With the outburst of the national Intifada in late 1087 and the emerging new needs for rehabilitation services in view of the large number of injuries sustained during confrontations with the Israeli occupying forces, PMRS sought to respond to these needs by increasing its activities in the field of rehabilitation.

Within a short period of time, the CBR Program was able to cover a wide geographic area with a population of about 300,000.