VNExpress-Aug 23
Bao Minh, 30, frequently experienced pain following sex reassignment surgery, but she could not find a suitable clinic to check. She had the surgery in early 2016 after being born a male. She need care after the surgery in terms of hygiene and hormonal drugs, but there was no healthcare facility for transgender people in Vietnam. “I was afraid to go to a public hospital because I did not know which sex column to check when filling out the paper work to get a checkup.”
While her breast implant surgery was relatively gentle and had little impact on her health, it took her several months to recover physically and mentally after having her genitalia removed. According to Huynh Minh Thao, an LGBTQ+ rights activist, there is high demand among the LGBT community for medical and mental health support as nearly half the posts in transgender online community groups being health-related questions indicate. He points out that transgender people can overdose when trying to take hormone medications at home or get infected when untrained individuals attempt to clean the incision area after surgery. Some 73 percent buy hormones from friends and non-medical sources, studies have found. On August 8 the Ministry of Health said since homosexuality is not a disease and thus cannot and should not be “cured,” medical examination and treatment facilities must be respectful of all gender identities and provide equal healthcare access opportunities. “I hope everyone understands the importance of transgender people living as who they are as well as bisexual and homosexual health care needs in general,” Thao adds. Read more at: https://e.vnexpress.net/news/trend/stigmatized-transgender-people-struggle-to-access-healthcare-in-vietnam-4502614.html
