For many transgender people in India, a visit to a doctor can mean judgement, delay or outright refusal of care. The Civilian Welfare Foundation has worked on this problem for over a decade – through research, community health camps and, most recently, by training LGBTQIA+ people to become healthcare workers themselves.

Listening to the evidence

CWF's earlier research documented the discrimination transgender patients face – including delayed or refused treatment, placement in inappropriate wards, and inadequate HIV post-exposure care after sexual violence. Building on this, CWF collaborated with researchers from Stanford University and the University of California, Berkeley on a study begun in October 2016 to interview 300 doctors across five Indian cities about transphobia and its effects on care. The study was reported by Scroll in November 2017.

Research continues through CWF Labs, our transdisciplinary healthcare and research unit, including a cross-sectional study on cytomegalovirus infection, depression, anxiety, well-being and pain among the LGBTQIA+ population in India.

A paramedical course built for inclusion

In 2024 we piloted a Gender Affirmative Paramedical Course for the LGBTQIA+ community – to our knowledge, India's first paramedical training designed for individuals from the community. By the time the pilot batch was nearing its conclusion in March 2025, many students had secured jobs; Rupesh is one of them.

The next batch began on 5 April 2025 in Kolkata and Bolpur. We are grateful to Servier India Private Limited and the JR Foundation for supporting the pilot.

The idea is simple: when people from the community are part of the healthcare workforce, care becomes safer and more respectful for everyone who walks through the door.

Care on the ground

CWF runs gender-affirmative health camps in Kolkata and Delhi-NCR, alongside basic healthcare programmes for transgender people. In Bolpur, CWF Labs offers affordable diagnostics and consultations and has held more than 50 health camps in tribal villages of Birbhum.

Telling the story

With support from the United Nations Global Youth Empowerment Fund, CWF produced a documentary on trans healthcare, created with what we believe was Asia's first transgender documentary team in North Bengal.

Why it matters

Healthcare is where discrimination can do the most immediate harm. A delayed diagnosis, a refused test or an insensitive remark can keep people away from care for years. By combining evidence from research, practical training and services on the ground, CWF hopes to show that trans-inclusive healthcare is not only possible but practical – and that it can begin in small towns like Bolpur as well as in large cities.

Visibility matters

Every year on 31 March, the Transgender Day of Visibility reminds us to celebrate transgender resilience and to keep pushing for change. Our work in gender-affirmative healthcare is one part of that larger commitment – to a society free from discrimination, where everyone can seek care with dignity.

Walk with us

Everything described here is made possible by volunteers, partners and donors who believe that inclusion should be lived, not just promised. If this story moved you, please consider supporting CWF with a donation (80G tax-deductible), or joining us as a volunteer, intern or partner.