Mumbai: GT Hospital trans ward lies empty

The government is planning to open similar ward in other government hospitals too depending on the demand from the community.

It's been 22 days since the transgender ward was opened at the government-run GT Hospital, and it hasn't yet seen a patient. According to a representative, there is a lack of awareness among the community. The hospital will have to coordinate with the state government, BMC hospitals, and also varied representatives of the community to spread the word.

On February 3, Medical Education Minister Girish Mahajan, inaugurated a dedicated 30-bed ward which, hasn't seen a single admission yet. On the condition of anonymity, one of the officials said, "So far, three transgender patients approached the OPD of the hospital, but no patients have been admitted."

Also Read: Mumbai: Govt hospital opens special in-patient ward for transgender community

Speaking to mid-day, Zainab Patel, a Western region representative of the National Transgender Council, said, "We welcome the move of the hospital for setting up a dedicated ward for the community, but I think there is less awareness about the new service. Secondly, I don't think GT hospital has communicated with other hospitals that they have this particular ward. The hospital has to reach out to health checkup camps through which they can spread the word. They also have to be in touch with community leaders who will refer patients to the hospital."