Members of the transgender community in Chennai increasingly turn to private hospitals rather than public health services, due to concerns over stigma, quality of care, and availability of gender-affirming treatments.
Glimpse:
Studies show transgender adults in Chennai prefer private facilities for minor, major, and chronic illnesses, while government health services are under-utilised because of mistrust, discrimination and lack of specialised care. The gap in access persists despite state welfare programmes.
In Chennai, the transgender community continues to depend heavily on private health care despite the availability of public services. A recent cross-sectional study involving 104 transgender adults found that for minor illnesses 45.2% opted for private facilities, rising to 61.3% for major illnesses and 66.7% for chronic conditions. Government facilities were preferred mainly for STI/RTI screening (55.4%) but much less for conditions requiring ongoing care or specialised treatment.
The reasons for this pattern are multifaceted. Many transgender individuals reported that government hospitals lacked trained staff familiar with gender-affirming treatment, faced long wait times, and carried the risk of discrimination or negative attitudes. One study noted:
“Government facilities were not preferred for HRT because of non-availability and distrust; and for GAS because of perceived poor quality of services, delay in services, lack of availability and unawareness.”
Beyond this, structural barriers such as low income, job precarity, lack of insurance and inconsistent access further push the community toward private providers despite higher cost. Social stigma, including anticipation of judgemental looks, harassment and exclusion in public hospitals, makes private hospitals appear more acceptable, even if financially burdensome.
Activists and community organisations in Chennai highlight the urgent need for public health institutions to become truly inclusive and competent in transgender-sensitive care. They suggest that government hospitals must implement dedicated transgender clinics, sensitise staff, streamline gender-affirming services, and reduce delays. Until such systemic changes are realised, private healthcare will remain the preferred (though often more costly) choice for many transgender persons in Chennai.
“Transgender persons even today face considerable discrimination which refrains them from accessing health care facilities.”
By
HB Team
