Trans clinic at Warangal’s MGM Hospital receives good response

Warangal: The first-of-its-kind clinic for the transgender community in the government hospitals in both the Telugu States, established at Mahatma Gandhi Memorial (MGM) hospital, is receiving good response. Thanks to the efforts of the hospital Superintendent Dr V Chandrashekar and other staff at the north Telangana’s biggest government hospital. A total of 130 transgenders visited […]

Warangal: The first-of-its-kind clinic for the transgender community in the government hospitals in both the Telugu States, established at Mahatma Gandhi Memorial (MGM) hospital, is receiving good response. Thanks to the efforts of the hospital Superintendent Dr V Chandrashekar and other staff at the north Telangana’s biggest government hospital.

A total of 130 transgenders visited the special out-patient (OP) clinic set up in the first floor (133 and 134 rooms) in the hospital since its inauguration on August 2 this year, and two were from Mumbai.

“The services at this clinic exclusively for the transgender are available on every Tuesday. The transgenders can directly visit the first floor and register their names for the doctors’ appointment. After counselling for their diseases/ailments, they will be referred to the concerned doctors,” said Dr Keerthi Satish Kumar, who is incharge of the clinic, told ‘Telangana Today’.

According to the MGM Hospital Superintendent, as many as six doctors from six department including dermatology, STD, psychiatry, endocrinology, plastic surgery, and urology are providing services at this clinic, set up in view of special requirements for the transgender community who are falling prey to the quacks and unqualified doctors in the State. “It is the second government run clinic for the transgender community in the south India after Chennai. It is the only clinic in both the Telugu States,” Keerthi Satish said.

“Our superintendent Dr V Chandrashekar is also planning to conduct sexual reassignment surgeries (SRS) or sex change surgeries at the hospital with the support of the State government. Now, the surgeries in the government hospitals are available in Chennai and AIIMS in Delhi. In view of this, a team of doctors is likely to visit these two hospitals in the next month before starting the surgeries,” Satish said.

It is said that there are 4,000 transgenders in Telangana State, while the number of the total transgender in both the Telugu States is estimated around 60,000. “Transgenders from erstwhile Warangal district are mainly visiting the hospital now, but once we start the sex change surgeries, people from other parts of the country likely to visit the hospital,” Satish Kumar said.

Many of the transgender community people are suffering from skin diseases, and most of them want to have laser treatment for the removal of the unwanted hair. “However, there is no equipment to perform the laser treatment at the hospital right now. In view of this, the Superintendent has written a letter to the government to sanction Rs 25 lakhs to purchase the equipment,” Satish Kumar said.

Telangana Transgener Community president Oruganti Laila said that many people were going to Mumbai, Delhi and Pune for the sex change surgeries and spending lakhs of rupees in the private hospitals for the surgery. “Many of them are losing all the money earned through the alms and other means for the sex change surgeries. Some of them are losing lives as they are falling prey to unqualified doctors or the quacks. This is a great decision by the Telangana government to set up a special clinic and also plans to perform sex change surgeries,” Laila said.

Tanmai, a trans, from Warangal, who visited the MGM Hospital on September 20, appreciated the MGM Hospital management for setting up the clinic. “We are happy to have a special clinic for us here. We used to suffer a lot as there were no specialist doctors for us. Many of the doctors are not aware of our body functioning and our health issues,” Tanmai said.

Sitara, another transgender, has urged the government to provide laser treatment for the removal of the unwanted hair as it is the biggest problem for many transgenders who do not like to have the moustache or beard. Not only transgenders, but also people known as hijras, transmen, cross-dressers, and gender non-conforming people can also visit this clinic and get the counselling and treatment.