The Maharashtra government has started the state's first dedicated transgender ward at the state-run Gokuldas Tejpal Hospital, which is located near Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT). The ward will contain 30 beds and offer mental health counselling. To ensure patients' privacy, the ward also has gender-neutral toilets as well as a separate examination room.
"The 30-bed ward will provide not only clinical and medical treatment to transgenders but also mental health counselling," said Dr Pallavi Saple, dean of JJ Group of Hospitals. "All the staff members have been sensitised and the hospital has released detailed standard operating procedures," she said.
The staffers have also been trained to be humane towards the patients, as the community often faces stigmatisation and discrimination when it approaches healthcare facilities, the doctor said.
As per the rules, the patients will have to submit their identity cards to undergo a series of tests for sexually transmitted diseases as well as a psychological evaluation for suicidal ideation. If the patients do not have an ID card, they can submit a written, self-attested letter.
Initially, the government had proposed to start the centre at Pune’s BJ Medical College, which hasn’t been operational yet. Uttar Pradesh was the first state to create a five-bed ward for the transgender community.