NEW DELHI: In a move that would cheer up the transgender community in the country, the Centre is planning to offer them customised health packages, including gender change surgery, under the national health insurance scheme, Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana. The customised packages include gender reaffirmation surgery, hormonal therapies and laser ablation surgery, said RS Sharma, the National Health Authority (NHA) Chief Executive Officer.
In this regard, the National Health Authority (NHA), which is the implementing agency for India’s flagship public health insurance programme, is actively collaborating with the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment to extend benefits under AB PM-JAY to the transgender beneficiaries.
“Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY does not distinguish whether any particular individual is a transgender or otherwise,” he said, adding that transgender person eligible as per Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC) of 2011 criteria will be entitled to healthcare benefits under the scheme.
He said that benefits will be extended to those who are registered with the social justice ministry through their National Portal for Transgender Persons, which provides the facility for a transgender person to apply for nationally-recognised transgender (TG) certificate and identity card. According to the portal, 8,936 applications from transgender persons have been received, of which 7,033 have been issued certificates. While 7,048 have been given ID cards, 1,161 were found not eligible, and 1,912 applications are still pending.