Municipality Now Provides Free Healthcare For LGBTIs

Istanbul’s Şişli district municipality started to provide free healthcare for LGBTI people. 

Republican People’s Party (CHP) Şişli District Mayor Advisor Boysan Yakar told bianet that the municipality decided to provide healthcare services for LGBTI people as they, especially trans people, faced challenges. 

Aimed to remind municipalities of their responsibilities on LGBTI people, a protocol prepared by SPoD (Social Policies, Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation Studies Association) was signed by the mayor of Şişli - one of Turkey’s most LGBTI-hosting district. 

Limited access to healthcare 

Yakar continued that only a glance on Turkish media in the past 20 years is enough to say that trans people were excluded from the healthcare. 

“As someone who is the LGBTI movement for 11 years, I can also observe that with first hand experience. We are also hearing reports that doctors reject patient due to the their sexual orientation,” he said. 

He also added that they would train their healthcare professionals on the topics of social gender and LGBTI issues. 

“Our municipality signed the LBGTI-friendly Municipality Protocol  and according to that we will have more activities. But we started first from healthcare,” he continued. 

He also said they have stretched their office hours to 8pm as most trans people worked late in the night time. 

Anonymous registry, free testing 

Some of the services to LGBTI people included free testing and anonymous for sexually transmitted diseases as well as for other diseases like Hepatitis on a quarterly basis. 

Yakar said that while the municipality will provide healthcare services equivalent to a hospital, the beneficiaries might also be transferred to a regular hospital in case of full capacity. 

The service will not be limited to the residents of Şişli district but all LGBTI people. (ÇT/BM)

* Click here to read the article in Turkish.