youjolgbtq:

Yesterday, the trans arm of the Movement for the Intergration and Liberation of Gay people (MOVILH), in conjunction with the Chilean National Health Fund (FONASA) and the Chilean Ministry of Health (MINSAL), submitted the final paper work necessary for the implementation of the National Body to Gender Identity Congruency Protocol.

In addition to requiring all health institutions to refer trans people solely by their identified name, this new protocol — passed by the Chilean Ministry of Health on September 9 of this year and counting with the support of President Sebastián Piñera — would treat gender affirming surgeries and hormone replacement therapies as any other vital health service covered by the State.

“The transcendent thing here is that the policy, through which the State will assume these costs, has already been approved,” said MOVILH trans activists Mary Isabella Aguayo and Paula Dinamarca via press release. “This is a great relief for those of us who are born with a body inconsistent with the sex we are and with which we feel a part of.”

Since this is an unprecedented step towards securing equal access to health for trans people and since there is widespread  inexperience around gender-affirming trans services, the implementation of the new protocol will begin in 2012 with a pilot study. During the pilot, trans people will be assisted by medical professionals through the necessary steps to align their body with their gender identity, all of which will be covered by the State.

The Chilean National Health Fund will now move to ensure that procedures and treatments covered by the State as underlined by the new protocol are included in next years budget.