Initiative seeks to sensitise doctors to needs and rights of queer community

WHEN Amala (name changed), a young trans woman from Kozhikode, walked into a hospital with severe abdominal pain, the doctor's hesitation wasn't just clinical--it was personal.

- POOJA NAIR @ Kozhikode

Questions unrelated to her health condition, awkward stares, and whispered consultations with other staff left her feeling humiliated, rather than cared for. For countless queer individuals across Kerala, healthcare often feels less like healing and more like surviving judgement.

Determined to change this, the NGO Queer Malabaris is launching a bold new initiative: The Queer Medico Wing. The pathbreaking programme aims to sensitise doctors across Kerala to the needs and rights of LGBTQIA+ individuals, making healthcare a space of dignity, not discrimination.

The initiative, expected to roll out in the coming weeks, is designed to address a long-standing gap in the state's healthcare system: The lack of awareness and confidence among many medical professionals when treating queer and trans individuals.