Transgender clinics in medical colleges in Kerala mooted

Mangalore Today News Network

Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 13 2017: In a relief to thousands of transgenders in the state, the Kerala government is all set to open exclusive TG clinics and begin sex-change surgery in the state-run medical colleges for the first time.

The step is part of the state governments various initiatives to bring the marginalised group to the forefront of the society as envisaged in the state Transgender Policy, unveiled for the first time in the country in 2015.

It has been a long pending demand of the transgender community (TG) to get facilities for the sensitive, expensive and time-consuming surgery in the state.

The state Health and Social Justice departments, with the support of Legal Services Society, will begin the Transgender (TG) clinic to address various health issues of the people belonging to the third gender and provide them counselling.

Health Minister K K Shylaja said the first such clinic would be opened in Kottayam Government Medical College soon.

With an aim to empower the TGs, the government has also plans to open a skill development centre in Kochi, she said.

“We are planning to open Transgender Clinics in all government medical colleges in the state.. We have also plans to provide facilities for their surgery at least in two medical colleges,” Shylaja told PTI.

The coordination of various departments, including plastic surgery, dermatology, psychiatry, general medicine are needed for the surgery and discussions are underway regarding this, she said.