The Department of Corrections (DoC) has teamed up with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to improve medical treatment for 4,000 transgender inmates in Thailand.
DoC director-general Ayut Sinthoppan said it sought the UNDP’s advice in order to raise the standard of medical services it provides in line with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).
Inmates should notice the changes from the moment they walk into the prison until the day they leave, with psychological counselling among the special assistance on offer.
The enhanced treatment should benefit about 4,000 transgenders in 143 prisons countrywide.
Mr Ayut said 60 of these inmates had already had sex-change operations and the department would take extra care of them. The DoC’s database shows that as many as 1% — or 4,000 — of prisoners are transgender.
Of these, 1,800 of them are transvestites, 352 are gay, 1,200 are transgender women, 1,000 lesbians and 34 sex-changed men.
Currently, only prisons with ample space, including Minburi, Khlongprem Central and Pattaya have sufficient space to cater specifically for transgender people.
Bangkok POst
