Women’s commission issues notice to Delhi health dept over lack of provision for sex reassignment surgery in govt hospitals

The Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) has sent a notice to the Delhi Department of Health and Family Welfare over the unavailability of Sex Reassignment Surgery (SRS) at government facilities in the national capital.

According to an official statement, the Commission interacts with the transgender community on a daily basis and is aware of numerous difficulties that they confront in Delhi. The absence of adequate government-sponsored sex reassignment surgery (SRS) in hospitals is one of the most prominent concerns confronting the community. At this context, the commission filed a notice to the health department, requesting information on the availability of free sex reassignment surgery in Delhi government facilities.

The department then notified the commission that SRS was not offered at Delhi government hospitals, according to the press release.

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The panel suggested to the Delhi Department of Health and Family Welfare that sex reassignment procedures be made available in government hospitals.

The Secretary of Health and Family Welfare had asked the Director General of Health Service to form a committee to investigate the problem and report back to the government.

DCW Chairperson Swati Maliwal has now filed a notice to the Health and Family Welfare Department requesting information on the committee formed by the Department in this subject, as well as minutes of the committee’s previous meetings.

The commission has also requested information on any report or suggestion made by the committee, as well as any action taken by the department in response.

‘”Lack of free Sex Reassignment Surgery is one of the main problems faced by the transgender community in Delhi. Presently, most transgenders undergo immense suffering as they are unable to get these surgeries done due to the exorbitant costs of the same,” Maliwal said.

“I have issued a notice to the health department in the matter and we shall work towards ensuring that free sex reassignment surgeries are provided in government hospitals in Delhi,” she added.

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