Bengal Govt to provide transgenders with medical assistance

Transgender people in the state who are willing to change their sex will be able to get medical assistance from the state government for sex reassignment surgery at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.

Under this unique initiative of the state government, the surgery would be conducted on the people whose gender could not be determined from their childhood. The surgeries would be conducted free of cost. It is a very lengthy and critical process involving many surgeries. In case one is willing to become a girl, surgeries namely, facial feminisation, breast augmentation, voice feminisation, must be done. The candidates must undergo hormone replacement therapy.

People aged between 17 and 25 and whose sex could not be determined will get the opportunity of availing the surgery if they desire to change their gender. Those having gender identity disorder will mostly be covered under this new scheme that the health department is going to launch.

RG Kar Medical College and Hospital is the first state run hospital in the state where such surgery would be conducted. State health department has also planned to introduce the facility in the SSKM Hospital, the only state run super-specialty hospital in Bengal. It was learnt that initially, specialist doctors from the SSKM will provide assistance to RG Kar Hospital.

If a person belonging to the third gender appeals to the state health department, a special review committee will examine the candidature and consider every aspect before allowing the applicant to undertake the sex-change surgery. The review committee will go through the candidature to check if the pre requisite criteria were met. Counseling would be given to those who will apply for sex change to prepare them mentally so that they can accept the sudden changes in their bodies.

A nodal committee has been formed with representatives from various departments of the hospital which is examining various aspects of the new initiative. The health department has asked the RG Kar Hospital authorities to put in place the necessary infrastructure for the project. The state government will bear the entire cost of the project.

 

Image courtesy: The Quint

 

রুপান্তরকামীদের লিঙ্গ পরিবর্তন করার অস্ত্রোপচার করতে সহায়তা করবে রাজ্য সরকার

যে রুপান্তরকামীরা নিজেদের লিঙ্গ পরিবর্তনে ইচ্ছুক, তাদের অস্ত্রোপচারে সাহায্য করবে রাজ্য সরকার। আর জি কর মেডিক্যাল কলেজ ও হাসপাতালে এই লিঙ্গ পরিবর্তনের অস্ত্রোপচার করা হবে বলে সিদ্ধান্ত নেওয়া হয়েছে। ১৭ থেকে ২৫ বয়স পর্যন্ত সকল রুপান্তরকামীদের এই সহায়তা দেওয়া হবে

রাজ্য সরকার পরিচালিত আর জি কর মেডিক্যাল কলেজ ও হাসপাতালে এই প্রথম এই রকমের সার্জারি হবে। স্বাস্থ্য দপ্তরের আরও পরিকল্পনা আছে পরবর্তীকালে এই সার্জারি রাজ্য সরকার পরিচালিত বাংলার সুপার স্পেসালিটি হাসপাতাল, এসএসকেএমে’ও করার। প্রথমে এসএসকেএমে’র অভিজ্ঞ ডাক্তাররা আর জি কর মেডিক্যাল কলেজ ও হাসপাতালের সার্জারিতে সহায়তা করবেন।

যদি কোনও তৃতীয় লিঙ্গের ব্যাক্তি রাজ্য স্বাস্থ্য দপ্তরের কাছে আবেদন জানান, একটি বিশেষ কমিটি ব্যাপারটি খতিয়ে দেখবে। আবেদনকারীদের কাউন্সেলিং করা হবে যাতে তারা মানসিক ভাবে প্রস্তুত হতে পারে শরীরের এই বিপুল পরিবর্তনকে গ্রহন করার জন্য।

এই নতুন উদ্যোগের জন্য একটি নোডাল কমিটি গঠন করা হয়েছে।

 

 

First meeting of newly formed Transgender Development Board held at Nabanna

The first meeting of the State’s newly formed Transgender Development Board was held at Nabanna on Friday

The Government will take special efforts to ensure that the marginalized transgenders become a part of the mainstream of the society. This was decided at the first meeting of the Board.

West Bengal Social Welfare and Women and Child Development Minister Dr Sashi Panja, who is also the chairperson of the Transgender Development Board, said that a mass awareness drive would be carried out so that the members of the state’s 30,000-strong transgender community could live with dignity .

 

The Minister also said that they would shortly set up sex reassignment surgery (SRS) units in government hospitals. This, she hoped, would minimize financial and various other difficulties that the transgenders face while undergoing sex-change surgeries at private hospitals.

There were plans to set up a 24×7 helpline for transgenders and other sexual minority communities such as LGBT. They will be able to lodge a complaint at the helpline even if they are assaulted or heckled by their family members

Krishnagar College principal Manabi Bandyopadhyay , who is the vice chairperson of board, said that they held a discussion with the nine transgender board members on Friday to address the problems faced by the members of the community .

The State Government is also planning to have special toilets for the transgenders. The transgenders had earlier complained that they were being harassed while using ladies’ toilets.  Dr Panja said that she would take up the matter of setting up toilets for transgenders on a priority basis. A special ward for transgenders has already been set up at R G Kar Medical College and Hospital.

The Board, which has its office in Salt Lake, is also planning to build a shelter for the transgenders who face hostile environment at home.

DrPanja said that since the Supreme Court has recently ordered to include transgenders in welfare programmes, he state government was planning to have education and health projects for them.