Activists hail expanded services

Hormone therapy must be accessible to marginalised or low-income members of the LGBTQ+ community. By Poramet Tangsathaporn

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Low-income transgender people are some of the most overlooked members of the LGBTQ+ community, especially when it comes to receiving healthcare services.

Not only do stigma and discrimination persist, but certain treatments like gender-affirming hormone therapy and the use of oestrogen or testosterone to help a person achieve the appearance of their gender identity can still be out of reach for many.

Things are about to change. In late January, the government approved the allocation of 145.63 million baht to the National Health Security Office to provide hormone medicine to 200,000 transgender people.

Local activists applaud the move and say it will benefit those with little or no access to hormones the most.

“The approval of hormonal therapy support under the gold card scheme by the National Health Security Office is important because it can [help] low-income informal workers who are in the golden card scheme but lack access to hormonal therapy support,’ said Nachale Boonyapisompam, vice-president of the Foundation of Transgender Alliance for Human Rights.

“At the same time, it is necessary to expand this service in other provinces or make the service more accessible at the primary stage of healthcare to ensure those who live outside the city get access to this treatment,” she added.