First Asia-Pacific conference on LGBTQI+ health kick-starts at PGI

Chandigarh’s PGIMER, in collaboration with Humsafar Trust, and the Centre for Sexuality and Health Research and Policy (C-SHaRP) is conducting the conference

A three-day long first Asia-Pacific and third national conference on LGBTQI+ health kick-started at the National Institute of Nursing Education (NINE) auditorium on the PGIMER campus on Thursday.

Themed “Advancing LGBTQI+ people’s health and rights”, the conference at PGIMER, Chandigarh, will convene public health professionals, researchers, healthcare providers and LGBTQI+ community members from across the Asia-Pacific region to address critical health issues and well-being of the community. (HT Photo)

The PGIMER, in collaboration with Humsafar Trust, and the Centre for Sexuality and Health Research and Policy (C-SHaRP) is conducting the conference.

Themed “Advancing LGBTQI+ people’s health and rights”, the conference will convene public health professionals, researchers, healthcare providers and LGBTQI+ community members from across the Asia-Pacific region to address critical health issues and well-being of the community.

The conference is being attended by 200 in-person participants, including 50 from Asia-Pacific countries, with an additional 500 virtual attendees expected. Comprehensive discussions on government policies, mental health, HIV prevention, gender-affirmative care, and panel discussions featuring LGBTQI+ testimonials on healthcare experiences will be discussed.

The participants from Thailand, Malaysia, Bhutan, Bangladesh, USA, Nepal, Manila, Philippines, Sri Lanka and Vietnam are attending this conference.

Speaking during the event, Radhika Chakravarthy, joint secretary, Union ministry of social justice and empowerment, said the Centre had launched the Ayushman Bharat TG Plus card for transgender individuals for health coverage up to ₹5 lakh annually.

Chakravarthy also shared interim measures of the high-level government committee constituted under the Supreme Court direction, which include “joint account opening and having a partner as a nominee, jail visitation rights for partners of queer people and inclusion of partner’s name in the household ration card”.

Key speakers emphasised the need for comprehensive healthcare for the LGBTQI+ community, with UNAIDS Director Eamonn Murphy promoting the concept of “undetectable = untransmittable” and Dr Shivangi Saha from AIIMS Delhi calling for research and support for gender-affirming services.