Tirur: A long-cherished dream of the transgender community in Malappuram district came true on Wednesday with the launch of the district's first transgender clinic at the Tirur District Hospital.
Set up through a joint initiative of the District Panchayat, the District Hospital and the Lions Club, the clinic will provide hormone testing, counselling and access to essential medicines for transgender persons. The facility is expected to bridge a critical gap in access to gender-affirming healthcare in the district.

The Lions Club of Tirur has created the necessary infrastructure in the hospital's new building. As part of the first phase of the initiative, the club also sponsored hormone tests for 30 beneficiaries. The District Hospital will provide the prescribed medicines, while the District Panchayat and the Social Justice Department plan to expand the programme.

The clinic will function on the third Wednesday of every month, offering hormone testing, counselling and other healthcare services exclusively for transgender persons.
District Panchayat Vice President A P Smiji inaugurated the clinic. District Hospital Superintendent Dr Saiju Hameed presided over the function.

District Panchayat Standing Committee Chairperson Shahina Niyasi, District Medical Officer Dr V Vinod, Vettam Ali Koya, Dileep Ambayathil, Neha Chembakassery, Sameer Machingal, K P A Rahman, K Sreekumari, E Sageer, K Salman, Amrutha Krishnan and Dr K Babitha were among those who spoke at the event.

Speaking on the occasion, Smiji said the transgender community should not be pushed to the margins of society and assured that the District Panchayat and the District Hospital would continue to stand by them. She also promised to further strengthen the facilities at the clinic.

Dr Vinod described the initiative as a model project with a promising beginning and said transgender persons had the same right as everyone else to live with dignity and equality in society.

Neha Chembakassery, a member of the State Transgender Welfare Board, said the clinic fulfilled a long-standing demand of the community. "Gender-affirming surgery is the biggest dream for many transgender persons, and hormone therapy is the first step towards it. Having a dedicated clinic for this has been a dream for years. We are delighted that the District Panchayat, the District Hospital and the Lions Club have come together to make it a reality," she said.