How six years of gender clinics in T.N. have improved access to healthcare for transpersons

John (name changed), a 28-year-old transman, felt a wave of nervousness as he walked into the gender guidance clinic for transgender persons at Chennai’s Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH).

- 

But that anxiety soon gave way to relief. At the clinic, he underwent a series of counselling sessions and medical consultations with a team of doctors before proceeding with gender affirmation surgery. “The doctors at RGGGH were very friendly. They made me feel comfortable throughout the surgery and recovery,” says Mr. John, who got a mastectomy. “I can’t even feel the stitches now. More importantly, I feel more like myself.”

In 2019, Tamil Nadu became the second State in the country, after Kerala, to set up a clinic exclusively for transgender people at RGGGH, and later, at Government Rajaji Hospital in Madurai, offering free gender affirmation surgeries. In fact, RGGGH had been performing free surgeries for transpersons since 2009, but they were conducted as part of general outpatient services. “The gender clinic ensures that all services are available under one roof, so transpersons don't have to go from one place to another to receive gender-affirming care,” says M. Sugumar, head of the plastic surgery department at RGGGH, who is also in charge of the gender clinic. His team includes Senthil Kumaran, assistant professor in the department of plastic Surgery at RGGGH, and a postgraduate resident. The entrance to the gender clinic at RGGGH is marked by colours of the trans pride flagAs of 2024, the hospital has performed 171 gender affirmation surgeries for transmen and women, which include penectomies, breast implants, and mastectomies, among other procedures. More than 1,500 trans persons have sought care at the clinic, as of 2024. There was a drop in the number of surgeries during the COVID-19 pandemic, as most outpatient services were shut. However, since then, the number of surgeries has increased, says Dr. Sugumar. He attributes this rise to the progressive policies of the State government, as well as growing awareness and education within the transgender community.

What does the clinic offer?