HYDERABAD: While members of the LGBTQIA+ community are, often, ridiculed when seeking medical or healthcare facilities, a rare sense of comfort prevailed at the free health camp in Hitec City organised by city-based NGO, Queer Nilayam, here on Saturday. Visitors said the doctors, some of whom identified as queer, were sensitive and accommodating of their issues, helping them share their problems without the fear of discrimination or judgement.
The issue of healthcare for members of the LGBTQIA+ community has been riddled with complications, which are often triggered by ignorance, leading to the stigmatisation of the queer community’s physical and mental health. About 400 people turned up for dental and eye check-ups apart from screening for non-communicable diseases. The camp also offered counselling for hormonal therapy, gender dysphoria, HIV/STD/STI tests and PrEP medicines.
Speaking to TNIE, Dr Sakshi, who was conducting dental check-ups at the camp, mentioned that most of the people there complained about stains, crooked teeth and wisdom tooth problems, much like the cis-gendered population. However, most of them practise good oral hygiene, she remarked. “A lot of people from the community enquired about feminisation and masculinisation, and hair transplant treatment. Most of them were not aware of such procedures which play an important role in building their self-image and instilling a sense of confidence in them,” added Dr Sakshi, who works as a surgeon with a renowned hospital in the city.
Doctors treating people from the LGBTQIA+ community with respect is rare. However, the State is soon going to have its first government transgender clinic in Osmania General Hospital here, revealed Dr Prachi Rathod. Along with Dr Ruth Paul, she was among the first two transgender doctors to be appointed in a government hospital in the State.
In a panel discussion, two government hospital doctors along with Dr Farukh from AIG Hospitals highlighted a lot of important issues regarding the health of the community members. They also disbursed some of the myths in people. They discussed that diseases like PCOD and PCOS have no roots in the sexuality of a person but are caused due to changes in lifestyle.
“As people from the LGBTQIA+ community do not (often) have the money to survive, they always neglect their health. which often ends up with a lot of complications,” Dr Prachi said, adding that owing to the non-friendly environment, people from the queer community often take medicines or hormones directly from the medical store or consult a quack.