The Sunday News
By a correspondent
“YOU know the problem in Zimbabwe, that group of people [intersex and transgender persons] doesn’t exist,” said a medical doctor who spoke on condition of anonymity.
When quizzed further on what they meant, the medical doctor said, “they don’t disclose” their gender identity when they visit public health facilities for medical assistance.
Mr Sam Ndlovu, Director at Trans Research Advocacy and Training (TREAT), a transgender rights and issues advocacy organisation says that public health facilities make it difficult for transgender persons to freely express themselves as they are divided into male and female areas.
“As an intersex person accessing gender affirming healthcare services has been quite a horrible experience,” said Ronika Ronie Zuze, Programme Director at Intersex Community of Zimbabwe. “Our healthcare system does not acknowledge or accommodate any other gender apart from the male and female genders.”
The term transgender refers to persons who do not identify with the gender identity and sex assigned at birth. An Intersex person is an individual born with reproductive or sexual anatomy that does not fit the traditional definition of “female” or “male.”
Gender affirming healthcare services for intersex and transgender persons refers to comprehensive access to primary care, gynaecologic and urologic care, sexual and reproductive health options, voice and communication therapy, mental health services, hormonal and surgical treatments.
The queer community in Zimbabwe also voiced reservations on the professional capacity of health workers to provide appropriate health care for intersex and trans persons.
“I am hypertensive and on hormonal [replacement] therapy. At times this triggers my blood pressure levels to go up,” said Ras (not their real name) a transgender man from the resort town of Victoria Falls.
“I always have a challenge with [medical] doctors because they do not have adequate information on gender affirmative healthcare for transgender persons. I use the internet to self-diagnose and medicate.”
In June 2018, Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Health published a training manual for use by health care professionals when providing services to key populations, which include intersex and transgender persons. However, transgender persons say it was non-specific to gender diverse communities.
