LGBT Activists Call for Improved Health Care in Kyrgyzstan

Kyrgyz NGO Labrys organized the first-ever training on LGBT health and rights for health care professionals in Kyrgyzstan. The six-day event, "Doctor, That Is For You!" was attended by 14 medical professionals from three regions of Kyrgyzstan, specializing in gynecology, psychiatry, urology, neurology and endocrinology. As a result of the training, Labrys has developed a list of LGBT-friendly health service providers as a resource for the LGBT community.

The training has also led to continued dialogue between medical specialists and LGBT activists, including offers of assistance in administering hormone therapies and referrals to practitioners who can perform qualified gender reassignment procedures at affordable prices. Labrys plans to continue its work to improve LGBT access to health services and has created six Russian-language brochures to educate a variety of medical specialists on the health needs of LGBT people.

The training, supported by the Open Society Institute Sexual Health and Rights Project, the Soros Foundation–Kyrgyzstan, and the Netherlands Center for Culture and Leisure was conceived based on findings from a 2007 OSI report, Access to Health Care for LGBT People in Kyrgyzstan. According to the report, a major factor inhibiting LGBT access to medical care is the high prevalence of intolerance LGBT people experience in Kyrgyz society generally and among those in the health care system in particular. 

LGBT people cited discrimination and fear of discrimination as two of the main obstacles to accessing health services.  In addition, doctors' lack of knowledge on and skills to address LGBT health needs have meant that many patients receive improper care or no treatment at all. In regard to transgender health, the report found that the most acute issue is the need for medical supervision of hormone treatment undertaken by those pursuing medical transition. Many transgender people have been driven to self-administering doses because they are unable to identify medical professionals willing to prescribe hormones and supervise treatment.

The first half of the training was dedicated to general sensitization and included discussions of terms and definitions, frequent stereotypes, and LGBT health and rights. The remainder of the training focused on physicians' roles and responsibilities in treatment and care, with a special emphasis on transgender needs.