India's first trans clinic in Hyd gets new lease of life
Hyderabad:
Mitr Clinic
, India's first exclusive clinic for transgenders set up in 2021 in Narayanguda, had a new lease of life after one of India's top MNCs came to their rescue to fund the clinic after USAID stepped back.
Having reopened on May 2, 2025, the Mitr Clinic has donned a new name - Sabrang. Managed by the YR Gaitonde Centre for AIDS Research and Education (YRGCARE), an NGO focusing on HIV/AIDS treatment, the clinic will be open from Monday to Saturday, 10am to 6pm.
It was in Jan 2025 when the clinic was forced to close after its funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) was halted. All USAID funding was frozen following an order from US President Donald Trump.
As a result, many members of the transgender community who were dependent on the clinic found it difficult to access the healthcare they needed. "Many prefer to come to this clinic since it provides privacy to the transgender community. Until Jan, the clinic used to serve 350 members of the LGBTQIA+ community," said a member of the community.
For 24-year-old Radhakrishnan, who works as a traffic assistant with the state police, Sabrang is where he hopes to continue his transition to a trans man. "For a few months, when the clinic was closed, I struggled. I was used to visiting Mitr regularly for hormone therapy. I had nowhere else to go when it was shut," he said.
Similarly, Ayesha Meera, a transgender woman who used to work as a counsellor for Mitr and now works as an advocacy officer for the Trans Equality Society, said: "I used to live in Tenali and travel 7-8 hours every day for hormone therapy at Mitr. Now that the clinic is open again, I can continue doing it."
Meanwhile, June being Pride Month, the clinic manager organised a pot-luck on Saturday, attended by their regular patients. "Here, I am not made to feel ashamed, and I feel comfortable. At other clinics, I was taunted and looked down upon," a transgender person told TOI.
"The HIV treatment programme is extensive. They provide PREP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis, a medication to prevent HIV, anti-retroviral therapy, and PEP (Post-Exposure Prophylaxis, a medication to cure HIV). It's also a place for the community to socialise and bond - it's more like a second home," said Rohit Mohite, a sexual health manager.
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