Four districts in Kerala to have 'Queer friendly' hospitals; first of its kind in India

"Queer Friendly Hospital Initiative" is being carried out in the districts of Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam, Thrissur, and Kozhikode in its initial phase, said Health Minister Veena George.

Thiruvananthapuram: Health Minister Veena George announced that Kerala is implementing the "Queer Friendly Hospital Initiative" for the first time in the nation. Its objectives include providing services at healthcare institutions and protecting the rights of queer and transgender persons. All healthcare services should be accessible to everyone without any kind of discrimination, according to the government. The project is being carried out in the districts of Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam, Thrissur, and Kozhikode in its initial phase. Staff training was also organized to make general hospitals in these districts queer-friendly.

The minister added that a stepwise approach is being taken to make all Kerala healthcare facilities queer-friendly.

In the first phase, the Transgender Community Link Worker (CLW) project has been started in these four districts. The main role of Community Link Workers is to act as a link between the transgender community and the health system to provide the necessary health services to transgender groups who face many barriers to mainstreaming society. Community link workers will take steps in this way to guarantee services to this group of patients who are brought to hospitals.

According to the Minister, the government is doing excellent work to support the transgender community. For the first time ever, the transgender community received reservations in the nursing profession. One seat each in the General Nursing course and the B.SC. Nursing programme are reserved for them.