The SA HIV Clinician Society will be hosting a gender-affirming healthcare implementation on Wednesday, September 13.
The workshop is aimed at assisting healthcare professionals in various districts in improving care for transgender and gender-diverse communities (TGD) and creating appropriate medical environments for them.
The one-day event will introduce the SAHCS gender-affirming healthcare guideline that was first published in October 2021.
The concept of gender-affirming healthcare is still relatively new in primary healthcare and the guidelines provide an understanding on a range of practices for transgender and gender-diverse people, including hormone therapy, informed consent, non-medical gender-affirming practices, psychosocial care, hormone therapy, and surgery.
The workshop will focus on mastering the concepts that are necessary to train staff at health facilities in communicating with TGD people.
It is open to all levels of staff members from healthcare facilities, both private and public, including doctors, nurses, clinical associates, pharmacists, rehabilitation staff, pharmacists, social workers, and psychologists.
Incorporating gender healthcare practices into primary healthcare will improve access to healthcare with improved provision of preventative services. This is according to an article written by four medical professionals, Dr Madeleine Muller, Elma de Vries, Anastacia Tomson, and Chris/tine McLachlan.
According to this article, it is important for all staff at the facility to be sensitive to ensuring that TGD individuals feel safe visiting the facility.
Specific focus is made on hormone therapy and ensuring that TGD individuals fully understand their options and the potential risks involved.
Muller, who is a lecturer in the department of family medicine, said that the world is evolving and the need to be accepting and understanding of people with different gender identities has grown exponentially.
“The world is evolving, and with greater acceptance of different gender identities, both internationally and in SA, an increasing number of TGD people are feeling safe to express themselves.
“This also means greater representation in the patient population as well as among health care staff.
“Health care facilities will increasingly encounter TGD people in the consultation room as well as among their employees. It is important that staff members and the wider multidisciplinary team be trained on how to manage this population sensitively and provide best possible care,” Muller said.
While the workshop is aimed at medical professionals, there are ways that society can get involved in making sure we are able to create a safe space for all TGD people.
“With the growing acceptance of different types of sexual orientation, gender identity and sexuality, more people will feel able to live their own authentic lives.
“Every human being wants to be affirmed for who they are and the life they lead.
“By creating a society in which we affirm each other, regardless of our differences, we can become a society which is safe and inclusive for all of us.
“The changes we are introducing into health care are also valid for all businesses, organisations and schools,” Muller said.
The guideline is available to the public on the SAHCS website, www.sahivsoc.org.
