For the first time in Tamil Nadu, transgender people will have access to an exclusive clinic at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH). The clinic, which will bring specialists such as a plastic surgeon, endocrinologist and venereologist under a single roof, will provide sex reassignment surgeries for transgender people.
The clinic, established at a cost of ₹15 lakh, will function every Friday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Health Minister C. Vijaya Baskar, who inaugurated the clinic on Monday, said that since 2016, 17 sex reassignment surgeries were performed at RGGGH. It would cost ₹2 to 3 lakh to undergo the surgery in a private hospital, while it was being done free-of-cost at the hospital. In addition, he said that the clinic would be upgraded with equipment worth ₹1.34 crore.
Legal guidelines
R. Jayanthi, dean of RGGGH, said this was the first exclusive clinic set up for transgender people in the State. “For change of gender, they can approach the clinic and get medical opinion. We will follow the legal framework and existing guidelines. They can get guidance from experts under a single roof,” she said.
“It will also have investigation facilities such as ECG and X-ray. A social worker will provide counselling for them. We have been doing sex reassignment surgeries for transgender persons but the numbers have been less,” said J. Jaganmohan, Head, Department of Plastic Surgery, RGGGH.
Special status
“Through this special clinic, we have requested the government to grant special status to enable us perform more surgeries. We hope that the numbers will increase with the establishment of this facility,” he said.
Health Secretary Beela Rajesh was also present. Two transgender persons, both employees of RGGGH (a lab technician and physiotherapist), took part in the inauguration of the clinic. The participants took a pledge against discriminating transgender people on the occasion.
The clinic has been set up following an announcement in the Assembly that transgender clinics would be set up at RGGGH and Government Rajaji Hospital, Madurai.