Provide free sex reassignment surgeries for transgenders at all Delhi govt hospitals: DCW

New Delhi: Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chief Swati Maliwal has recommended the city government to provide free sex reassignment surgeries for transgenders in its hospitals.

She said lack of such a procedure was one of the most common complaints among the community.

In this connection, the DCW had sought to know from government hospitals whether they were equipped to carry out the medical procedure that would help the community transition to their self-identified gender.

In response, the Delhi government's Department of Health and Family Welfare informed the commission that its hospitals were not offering any surgery to reassign one's sex.

Subsequently, the DCW had recommended to the government to introduce sex reassignment surgeries free of cost.

The government had then said it had directed the Director General of Health Services (DGHS), Delhi, to constitute a committee to examine the matter and submit a report in this regard.

Responding to a DCW notice, the DGHS said free sex reassignment surgeries had been made available at Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital's burns and plastic surgery department.

Further, the DGHS informed the panel that any hospital having a burns and plastic surgery ward along with a plastic surgeon was capable of performing such a surgery.

In a notice to the health secretary, the DCW has now sought a list of hospitals having burns and plastic surgery ward and also details of plastic surgeons capable of performing sex reassignment surgeries.

The panel has asked the health department to submit an action taken report in the matter by October 21.