India celebrated a milestone in healthcare access as Delhi’s Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital inaugurated the nation’s first transgender Outpatient Department (OPD) on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birthday. Dr. Ajay Shukla, the hospital’s Director and Medical Superintendent, officiated the special OPD and a concurrent blood donation camp.
The initiative aims to make healthcare services more accessible
The transgender-specific OPD will operate every Friday from 2 PM to 4 PM, with a dedicated registration counter for transgender patients. If the demand increases, additional days may be added to accommodate more visits. The initiative aims to make healthcare services more accessible to the transgender community, which often faces stigma and discomfort when seeking medical care in public spaces.
Dr. Shukla expressed his observation that transgender individuals rarely visit general OPDs and shared his conversations with transgender groups, revealing their feelings of stigmatization and discomfort. Consequently, he recognized the need for a dedicated healthcare service for this community, aiming to bridge the gap in access to medical care.
The hospital’s transgender OPD will provide various services, including endocrinology with hormone analysis and free hormonal treatment, psychiatry, clinical-psychological assessments, plastic surgery, dermatology, urology, paediatrics, and related blood investigations. The facility will also offer gender-neutral and transgender-friendly washroom facilities.
This significant step addresses the underrepresentation of transgender healthcare in India, where specialized care and gender-affirming surgeries are limited and often costly. Additionally, the broader healthcare system has historically neglected transgender healthcare needs, focusing primarily on HIV and STDs. This initiative strives to rectify this disparity and provide transgender individuals with better access to comprehensive healthcare services.
The establishment of India’s first transgender OPD marks a crucial milestone towards inclusive and equitable healthcare access for all citizens.
Keep watching our YouTube Channel ‘DNP INDIA’. Also, please subscribe and follow us on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, and TWITTER