Improving Access to Healthcare for Transgender Individuals

Programme(s): Rights, Equality and Citizenship Programme-REC Programme 2014-2020

Topic(s): REC-RDIS-DISC-AG-2019

Type of action: REC Action Grant

Funded under: Rights, Equality and Citizenship Programme

Project ID: 881952

Objective: Discrimination on the grounds of gender identity and gender expression is severe and widespread in EU Member States. Transgender people tend to suffer from a poor state of health. Their fear of discrimination and stigmatisation adversely affects their psychological and physical well-being. This is further accentuated by avoidance of health services, based on anticipation of negative/discriminatory attitudes by healthcare providers. In this project we are focusing on combating discrimination against transgender people and improving the overall health and well-being of transgender individuals by a) raising the awareness of the society about the problem and b) enhancing the capacity of clinic staff and providers in order to improve the access of transgenders to healthcare. Transcare is expected to raise awareness for transgender equality and their access to healthcare through public awareness activities, two (2) hosted events involving at least 300 participants and three (3) national info days involving at least 150 participants in each one. Additionally, it aims to combat discrimination against transgender people and improve their access to healthcare by developing and delivering training courses specifically addressed to clinic staff and providers with a view to create a welcoming environment for transgender people covering topics such as: acknowledging two-step gender and sex, understand the transgender patients’ specific needs and codes of conduct in the presence of a transgender patient. Transcare is expected to result in a better-informed environment for the rights of the transgender people and an improved accessibility of transgenders to healthcare by increasing the capacity of clinic staff and providers about the healthcare rights and needs of transgenders and how to handle such cases. It will also, contribute to the protection of the transgender and LGBT rights by addressing policy gaps, proposing potential solutions and creating policy recommendations.