Maha: GT Hospital opens first dedicated OPD for transgenders

Mumbai: As part of its efforts to provide dignified healthcare to transgender individuals, the Gokuldas Tejpal Hospital in Dhobi Talao is the first hospital in Maharashtra to have a dedicated ward for the transgender community focusing on their physical and mental health care.  

The initiative has received huge praise from the community as they often face stigmatization and discrimination when they approach healthcare facilities. With the dedicated ward providing proper healthcare facilities, transgender patients would receive appropriate treatment.

The facility with 30 beds has gender-neutral toilets, separate examination rooms, and dressing rooms. The ward was inaugurated by Medical Education Minister Girish Mahajan on Friday.

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While speaking about the ward, the Minister confirmed that more wards will be established soon at other hospitals based on the response and feedback from the ward at GT hospital.

Apart from availing of quality healthcare treatments from the ward, the transgenders would also receive mental health counselling. Maharashtra is the second state to have such a facility after Uttar Pradesh.

Commenting on the matter, the Minister told report wire, “Transgender folks as a neighbourhood have suffered plenty of discrimination and inequality in society even because the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019 offers equal rights to the neighbourhood and any discrimination towards them is punishable underneath the legislation.”

“Now, transgenders can not only avail treatment for their physical illness but also for their mental well-being. We have already conducted training sessions for our employees to learn about the problems faced by the community and also how to deal with them. They should also have general healthcare-accessible benefits,” he stated.

Dr Pallavi Sapale, Dean of Sir JJ hospital s,aid “Transgenders are also a part of our community. Our constitution has given them rights. So, they should be equally treated as other genders. They have the right to get proper treatment. Due to the absence of special wards, they suffer a lot and are confused about where to go for treatment. In separate wards, they can be treated well. Mental health counselling is also available at the ward.”

“We have distributed the guidance booklet to all the transgender people who have attended the inauguration programme. We have given training for doctors, nurses and other staff on how to handle and treat them giving proper care. We have also given two ventilators, monitors, and a semi ICUs room for this ward,” she added.

In conclusion, Dr Sapale said “In the state government-run medical hospitals, there were only two categories mentioned in the case papers-male and female. Now, the third category has also been included. So, we will have separate records of this community. We are sure that we will offer the best treatment to our transgender siblings.”

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