Complainant officers designated at medical colleges in West Bengal to deal with issues of transgender community

Kolkata: recently transgender activist Tista Das who is also a transwoman had gone for a medical check-up at a government hospital after she allegedly was physically and sexually assaulted. Even as the actor requested for women doctor to check on her she allegedly was subjected to medical examination by a doctor team that had male physicians.

Das is not alone to complain of such apathy and insensitiveness. For long the transgender community has been complaining of harassment due to lack of awareness when they go for medical care at hospitals. Now all state run medical colleges in the state will have a deputy superintendent designated as a complainant officer who is expected to deal with issues faced by this community.

"Most people in the healthcare sector are still very insensitive towards the community. As a result we continue to face harassment in hospitals due to our gender identity. This will go on unless there is a change in system and mindset," said Das.

Health officials said that the complainant officers will take in the grievances from the community people and help them solve those issues.

"First we need a separate ward where people from the community can feel comfortable enough to get the medical care. But the absence of such facility makes trans people reluctant to visit hospitals," said Anuradha Sanyal, a transwoman.

Even as the state government had created an exclusive ward at MR Bangur Hospital for treating covid positive patients from the transgender community the facility has been restricted to only one hospital and for on Covid care.

"Such policies will mean only a cosmetic change unless there is a systematic change. Designating one officer to receive complaints from the trans community is fine. But unless that does not translate into solving the core issues the community people face in hospitals it will not mean much," said gender rights activist Bappaditya Mukherjee of Prantakatha.

The health department has also asked all districts to designate one deputy CMOH for the purpose.