Wales funds sex-change therapy
By politics.co.uk staff
Transgender patients in Wales will be given access to funding for gender reassignment therapy, bringing the country into line with other UK nations.
The Health Commission Wales (HCW) scrapped exiting rules forcing those suffering from gender dysphoria – the feeling of being trapped in the body of the wrong sex – to prove ‘exceptional circumstances’.
A HCW spokesman said: “We have been working with the Gender Trust on the development of a policy for accessing this treatment in Wales.
“The policy will enhance access to treatment under clear access criteria.”
The change was welcomed across the political spectrum.
“This is a long-overdue decision. Treatment for patients in Wales with gender dysphoria has fallen well-short of standards in other parts of the United Kingdom,” said Tory shadow health minister, Andrew Davies.
“Patients deserve to be treated with dignity and respect and not penalised simply because of where they live.”
Over the course of the last year, the HCW has reviewed a backlog of failed cases in the period since 2005, and funded 20.
