Hyderabad: Mitr Clinics, India’s first medical facilities dedicated to transgender healthcare, have shut down in Hyderabad, Thane, and Pune after US President Donald Trump froze foreign aid.
Established in 2021 under the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the clinics provided HIV treatment, counseling, and support services to thousands of transgender individuals.
Impact of Aid Cut
- Trump signed an executive order in January halting foreign aid for 90 days, affecting development programs worldwide.
- The clinics, run in collaboration with Johns Hopkins University, USAID, and the Indian government, relied on Rs 2.5 lakh ($2,900) per month in US funding.
- Around 6,000 people accessed these clinics, with 6-8% being HIV patients.
Community Outcry
Activists say the closures have devastated the transgender community, which faces discrimination in mainstream hospitals.
“Transgender people are not treated properly in general hospitals,” said Rachana Mudraboyina, former in-charge of the Hyderabad clinic.
Elon Musk, a Trump ally, sparked controversy by criticizing US funding for transgender healthcare, saying, “That’s what American tax dollars were funding.”
Despite setbacks, clinic staff are seeking alternate funding and urging the Telangana and Maharashtra governments to step in and support these critical services.
