Activists hail expanded services for the LGBTQ+ community
Some of the LGBTQ community’s lowest-income trans persons are some of the most underappreciated, especially when it comes to getting medical care.
Some treatments like gender-affirming hormone treatment and the use of testosterone or cortisol to help a person reach the appearance of their female identity are still out of reach for many people, but not only do stigma and discrimination persist.  ,
Points are about to alter. The state approved the National Health Security Office’s allocation of 145.63 million baht to deliver hormones to 200 000 trans people in late January.
Local activists praise the walk, and they claim it will be most advantageous to those who have little or no access to hormone.
The National Health Security Office’s acceptance of hormonal treatment support for low-income casual workers who are eligible for the gold cards program but have access to it, according to Nachale Boonyapisomparn, vice-president of the Foundation of Transgender Alliance for Human Rights, is crucial.
She continued,” It is necessary to develop this service in other regions or make the service more available at the primary level of care so that people who live outside the area can get this therapy.”
Anukool Pruksanusak, a lieutenant government official, claimed that the government’s assistance for marriage equality was consistent with the 200 000 person funding for hormonal therapy.
This would reduce health risks, especially for those who sought entry to hormonal therapy through informal channels. According to Mr. Anukool, the support may also promote health equity by allowing people with the means to get the service, which was formerly only available to those who could afford it.
Tlaleng Mofokeng, the Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health for the UN, who traveled to Thailand in February, welcomed the initiative.  ,
She said,” Originally, this was an out-of-pocket expense that prevented access.”  ,
I urge the National Health Security Office to be aware of the numerous ways that trans people experience crime within the system, and to make sure that the system does not work in a way that further defies or detracts transgender people out of treatment.
Dr. Mofokeng added that Thailand still needed to place the rights of the people at the center of its care system to ensure equality, especially among the most vulnerable and discriminated, despite having made progress in its medical plan.
The objective of pharmaceutical availability, usability, accessibility, and quality is becoming even more difficult to achieve worldwide. This is especially true for those who are in vulnerable circumstances, such as LGBTIQA and female different people, including indigenous peoples, migrants and refugees, internally displaced people, ethno-religious majority communities, people with disabilities, people without rights, sex workers, people who use drugs, and LGBTIQA and female different people,” she said.  ,
BOOST EDUCATION
Ms. Nachale added that through the cooperation of both the government and the civil sector, health literacy and knowledge should be promoted more among those taking the hormones.
She said this to make sure they are protected from hormones obtained through unofficial channels that might be harmful to their health. She suggested that spreading information about hormones on social media might be a good way to reach transgender teens, for instance.
According to Ms. Nachale, each person has unique hormonal needs. Some people are able to take hormones without having to undergo any gender-affirmation surgery.  ,
” Hormonal therapy typically continues for those who have had surgery because they need to rely on it for a long time,” she continued.
According to Rena Janamnuaysook, program manager at IHRI Tangerine, the first transgender-focused health clinic in Asia, hormonal therapy costs, dosages, and dosages vary depending on the individual’s needs.
Transgender people who receive therapy at her clinic would spend between$ 5,000 and$ 7,000 annually on medication and laboratory expenses.
According to Ms. Rena, Thailand does not have information on how many transgender people are in need of or are receiving hormonal therapy, but about 7, 000 transgender people are treated at her clinic annually.
Because we have the largest transgender clinic in Asia, she continued,” We have a very large number of patients.”

Nachale: Health literacy is a requirement.

Mofokeng: Ensure diversity.

Rena: Treatment costs vary depending on the patient.