Transgenders seek reserved beds in Sassoon Hospital

Nirbhaya Sansta has written to the hospital authorities, who will forward the request to DMER for a decision

The humiliating experience the transgender community in our country goes through in their day-to-day existence is no secret. The situation is no different when it comes to seeking medical care as well. Tired of the ridicule and shame meted out to them, transgender activists in the city have now raised a demand for reserved beds for the section in Sassoon General Hospitals (SGH) and BJ Medical College (BJMC).

While they say that male patients are uncomfortable with their presence or pass lewd comments when members of the community are around, the community has asked for five beds to be kept reserved for them in the female wards. The SGH authorities will forward the request to the Director of Medical Education and Research (DMER).

Members of the community claim that transgender people face bias even from doctors and that they have been ostracised several times in the past. Stating that they have experienced worst form of discrimination, they cited examples of doctors and nurses refusing them medical care.

Some of them have claimed that their visit to government hospital wards are a cause of distress to them. Most doctors, knowingly or unknowingly, do not ask them for their gender preference before assigning them a ward. While male patients have sometimes passed comments of sexual nature at them, female patients have voiced their displeasure to accommodate them in their wards. Clinical examinations of their genitals or private parts in the male wards is another cause of worry for them.

Chandni Gore, founder of the Nirbhaya Sansta, an organisation that works for the rights of transgender people, has written to SGH. The body has demanded a handful of five beds be reserved for the singled-out community.

Elaborating on the issue, Gore said, “The community has been facing discrimination at various hospitals for long. Whenever a transgender person goes to a hospital, especially run by the government, they face inconvenience and humiliation. Some of the hospitals even ask for money from them for their treatment. There are more than 6,000 transgender people in Pune, and all we want are a few hospital beds be reserved for them.”

Talking about some of the bad experience, Gore said, “Eight months back there was an incident where a transgender visited a government hospital after she was allegedly raped. And the first question the doctors asked her was if members of the community can get raped at all. This is acase of lack of sensitised behaviour.” In another case of burn injuries, not only was the transgender person but also her friends, who were there to assist her (also transgender), were harassed,” informed Gore.

“The doctors were not ready to admit the patient with burns, claiming that they make a lot of noise in the ward and disturb other patients. The transgender person was not admitted and most of the treatment was carried in the out-patients department,” said Gore.

Dr Ajay Tawre, medical superintended, SGH, said, “The organisation has written to us and demanded for five beds to be reserved for their community in the female wards. We will forward their request to DMER for approval. Decision will be taken according to the directions of DMER, which might take a week.”