10 beds for transpersons reserved at Covid-19 hospital in Kolkata

Sumati Yengkhom | TNN | Updated: Apr 28, 2020, 08:39 IST

MR Bangur Hospital

KOLKATA: The transgender community’s long-standing demand for separate treatment facilities in hospitals has got a response during the coronavirus crisis — the health department has kept 10 beds reserved for the community members at the government’s Covid hospital, MR Bangur Hospital (MRBH). The move has come as a relief for the community, which often faces harassment while seeking medical care, especially in government-run health facilities.
While four beds each have been earmarked in the male and female wards at the isolation facilities for severe acute respiratory illness (SARI) or suspected cases, one bed each has been kept separately in the two wards for treatment if anyone from the community tests positive to the infection.
“When I was approached with the proposal, I spoke with the chief minister who asked to make the arrangements immediately,” minister of state for health and family welfare Chandrima Bhattacharya told TOI.
The matter was taken up with the health department officials and MRBH authority, after which it was decided that transwoman patients will be admitted to the female ward while transman patients will be treated in the male ward.
“Within three days of proposing the arrangement, Bhattacharya got things done. We wish such an arrangement is made in district hospitals, too,” said Ranjita Sinha of Association of Transgenders/Hijaras in Bengal (ATHB).
“This will instil a sense of security in our community members when they seek treatment. Otherwise, they might sit at home being scared of visiting a hospital because of the bitter experiences. Even if one community member is affected and hesitates to come to a hospital, it will endanger the containment plans,” added Sinha.
Sinha, a transwoman, has started disseminating information about the facility through NGOs and social networking groups. Currently, around 60,000 transgenders in the state are enrolled with community-based organizations, but the number, activists say, is higher.