June 09, 2022
New funds for gender diversity care
Greens’ rainbow spokesperson Elizabeth Kerekere is welcoming efforts to make access to health care services easier for transgender people,
Associate Health Minister Ayesha Verrall has announced $2.2 million from Budget 2022 to allow eight primary health care providers around the country to provide gender affirming care to gender diverse people.
The Health Ministry is also developing guidelines, a referral pathway, and workforce training to ensure health care provided to gender diverse people is consistent across the country.
Dr Kerekere says a range of services are needed, not all medical.
“The range of care is sometimes being able to have someone to talk to, to understand what the options are. For instance for maybe younger people or people new in their transition it’s about, for young people certainly it’s puberty blockers. The there’s other surgical means – there’s long, long waiting lists,” she says.
There’s also $2.5 million for best practice health care for intersex youth, including investing in rainbow health initiatives such as peer support services and informative resources for intersex youth and their whānau