Live
- Educational Trips in South Kanara Put on Hold Following Murudeshwar Drowning Incident
- Karnataka Temple Embraces Mechanical Elephant for Cruelty-Free Ceremonies
- Temple modelled after Ram Mandir to be constructed in US
- Property dealer shot dead in broad daylight in Ranchi
- Maharashtra: CM Fadnavis expands Cabinet; inducts 39 ministers
- Winter Session of UP Assembly from Dec 16; CM seeks cooperation of all parties
- AIADMK executive council meet passes sixteen resolutions, vows to make Edappadi CM again
- Manchu Family Feud Resurfaces in Jalpally
- Kerala Hindu leader gifts Rig Veda to Pope Francis
- 35 miners trapped under rubble in Afghanistan
Transgenders seek separate hospital
Alleging that over 75 per cent of transgender are being denied health care services in the normal hospitals across the State, the Telangana Hijra Transgender Samithi (THTS) has demanded that their plea for a separate hospital which was pending with the government for over 10 months be considered immediately.
Hyderabad: Alleging that over 75 per cent of transgender are being denied health care services in the normal hospitals across the State, the Telangana Hijra Transgender Samithi (THTS) has demanded that their plea for a separate hospital which was pending with the government for over 10 months be considered immediately.
According to them separate hospitals for transgenders was a must as they face discrimination and problems in normal hospitals. They are not acceptable either in male wards or female wards as of now and there are no separate wards for the third gender.
The THTS told The Hans India that there were separate hospitals for third gender in Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra and if the same system is followed here it would help them in getting better medicare. It will also help them in Sex Reassignment Surgery (SRS) and Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT).
There are about 25,000 members of the third gender in the State according to a survey. However, realising that not all transgenders could afford the luxury of treatment in private hospitals, the members have been pressing for reservation of at least separate wards for their treatment at all government hospitals to begin with.
“We met the finance minister at the Secretariat in October 2014 and demanded establishment of a statutory Welfare Board to coordinate between various government departments for extension of government benefits to the community,” a transgender working as a professor at Hyderabad Central University (HCU), Bittu said adding that they wanted reservations in employment and at least one hospital in the State to offer free SRS, counselling and HRT to them.
Another transgender said, “A patient does not feel comfortable getting admitted to a male ward and the women patients object to their admission in a female ward. There are many patients suffering with tuberculosis, HIV and other ailments. Doctors hesitate to touch and treat us. About 75 per cent could not get preventive care because of discrimination in hospitals.”
The THTS said only the State of Tamil Nadu is offering free health services to transgenders where such people can access SRS in government hospital. It is also the first State to form a Transgender Welfare Board with representatives from the transgender community. Currently only in Tamil Nadu, free SRS is available in select government hospitals. Only operation and vaginoplasty is covered under this programme.
The transgenders say that the hospital must provide sound counselling to parents of children with intersex variations and transgender identity so that medical procedures are not forced upon these children. The hospital can recruit physicians who are well trained in these fields. At least one hospital per district should provide other healthcare services without stigma or harassment or delay to transgenders and intersex people as well including STD and HIV related services,” the HCU professor maintained.
By:Victor Rao
