'Essential health-care': Manitoba providing easier access to gender-affirming care
The Manitoba government is taking steps to improve accessibility to gender-affirming care and also ensure health-care providers are up to date on the latest information.
Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara made the announcement on Wednesday, saying the province is working to ensure patients receive care as quickly as possible.
“I’ve often said that love is action and today our government is demonstrating our love for the queer and trans community by taking action to improve gender-affirming health-care in Manitoba,” Asagwara said at a news conference on Wednesday.
“As your minister of health, I want to be very clear about one thing – affirming, supporting and lifting up the gender identity of Manitobans is a part of essential health-care.”
Some of the steps the province is taking to improve wait times for transgender patients include removing the requirement for a patient to obtain two medical referrals to access specialist care, as well as expanding the number of primary-care providers who can refer patients for gender-affirming care.
Manitoba is also creating a working group that will connect communities to services around the province.
“Gender-affirming care allows for folks to be their true selves, have appropriate supports and feel at home in their bodies,” Asagwara said.
“We also know that gender-affirming health-care saves lives.”
The Manitoba government devised these steps in collaboration with Klinic Community Health. These steps are aligned with the World Professional Association for Transgender Health’s latest clinical guidelines.
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