Province targets wait times for trans patients

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This article was published 17/07/2024 (417 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The provincial government announced Wednesday it is taking steps to improve wait times for trans patients seeking gender-affirming care.

Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara said at a news conference at Klinic Community Health that the steps include removing the requirement for patients to obtain two medical referrals to access such care. Patients were previously required to get referrals from an approved doctor and an approved mental health practitioner.

The health minister said the change will reduce “painful and distressing” delays. The change will also allow a greater number of primary health-care practitioners to provide care, Asagwara said.

The government also plans to create a working group aimed at connecting communities across the province with services.

Dropping the referral requirement was done in consultation with Klinic and aligns Manitoba with other provinces and territories such as Ontario, British Columbia and Yukon.

Asagwara noted the change aligns the province with the World Professional Association for Transgender Health clinical guidelines and that “expert health-care providers” informed the government’s work.

Klinic executive director Ayn Wilcox celebrated the announcement at a time when she said other governments are “retracting services in response to attacks on trans and gender-diverse communities.”

Wilcox said previous “outdated provincial policies” acted as barriers to people accessing gender-affirming procedures.

“Over the past number of years, we have struggled to meet increasing demand,” she said. “Currently, the wait times to see an approved primary care provider in our program exceed a year.”

Depending on the type of mental health assessment needed, wait times can take as long as two years, Wilcox added.

With the change, any primary care practitioner who knows how to provide gender-affirming care will be able to provide most specialized services.

jordan.snobelen@freepress.mb.ca