KP govt lauded for allocating separate wards to transgender

PESHAWAR: The Blue Veins and TransAction, transgender rights organizations, on Wednesday, lauded Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government for allocating separate wards for the transgender community and looking into the specific transgender healthcare issues.Addressing a press conference at the Peshawar Press Club, Blue Veins coordinator Qamar Naseem and Transgender Association President Farzana Jan, Arzu Khan, Taimur Kamal and others said the provincial government had allocated separate wards for their community in the province. They referred to the notification of the chief minister ordering the health department to take necessary steps for providing a safe environment to the transgender community at all government and non-governmental healthcare institutions of the province. They said that as per the directives MTI hospitals would provide five beds, category-A and B hospitals would provide four beds while category-C hospitals would provide three beds. Farzana Jan demanded that the allocated wards in Lady Reading Hospital should be named after “Alisha Shaheed Memorial Ward” to remember transgender rights activist Alisha who died in Peshawar because of poor healthcare facilities and negligence of the doctors.Qamar Naseem appreciated the provincial government, secretary health, secretary social welfare, Senator Rubina Khalid, MPA Nighat Orakzai, speaker provincial assembly, deputy speaker, minister health and Dr Sumera Shams for taking interest and support to this effect.Taimur Kamal coordinator Pakhtunkhwa Civil Society Network deplored that many trans people were still denied healthcare because of their identity, even if new laws had been passed, many obstacles remained the same in the last one year. He added that the allocation of designated wards was welcomed but the mindset of doctors and other healthcare staff needed a change to make a real difference.

from The News International - Peshawar https://ift.tt/2LSNPFL