“The Rs 5-lakh cover is for an entire family under the Ayushman Bharat scheme. But we have changed the definition of the family to provide the total yearly coverage to transgender persons”. According to government officials, health cards granted to transgender individuals will not include or cover their families. Additional hospitals will be authorized to perform sex reassignment operations. While signing the MOU, the minister stated that arrangements were being made to provide services at AIIMS as well as other prominent hospitals.
According to the Health Minister, a total of 4.8 lakh transgender individuals in India would be benefitted through the program. He said, “The Social Justice Ministry has a database of 4.8 lakh transgender persons. This will be added to the Ayushman Bharat database and they will be able to avail of benefits”. Additionally, those who have not added their names can now add it to the database of the Ministry of Social Justice or use their Aadhaar card, which indicates their gender, to participate in the program.
According to the statement from the Health Ministry, “The scheme will cover all transgender persons not receiving such benefits from other centre/state sponsored schemes”. According to the announcement, anyone having a transgender certificate issued by the national portal for transgender individuals will be eligible for benefits. According to the online portal, as many as 8,000 certificates have been awarded thus far.
According to Dr Aqsa Shaikh, medical professional and transgender activist, “The 4.8 lakh figure is as per the 2011 census and only 2 per cent of this number have been issued the certificate by the Social Justice Ministry so far. However, even (if) others are able to get their cards, the challenge is that sex reassignment surgeries are not offered by many institutions, and there are very few trained plastic surgeons in the country.”
