Procedures for the diagnosis and treatment of gender identity disorder are approved
On 4 August, the Minister of Health approved a description of procedures for the diagnosis and treatment of Gender Identity Disorder (transsexualism). This will allow for a unified and clear provision of health services for adults suspected and/or diagnosed with gender identity disorder.
This description will not only ensure the procedure for the provision of the service, but will also fulfil Lithuania's international human rights obligations by eliminating violations that have been recorded for more than a decade.
Until now, medical practitioners have not had standards for the diagnosis and treatment of gender identity disorder, which has not only led to different practices in personal health care institutions, but also has not created the legal conditions for prescribing the necessary drugs and tests when needed. As early as 2007, Lithuania lost a case before the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), one of the alleged violations being the lack of legislation guaranteeing the right of transgender people to health services.
"The new arrangements will reduce the amount of health services in the grey area and ensure patients' rights. In our country, all its citizens are important and human rights must not be compromised. This is especially important in the current geopolitical situation, where it is necessary to demonstrate, not only in words but also in deeds, that we belong to the Western world and respect human rights," said Minister of Health Arūnas Dulkys.
The description defines the roles and responsibilities of family doctors, psychiatrists, endocrinologists, obstetricians, gynaecologists, urologists and other specialists. This legal act also establishes the conditions for the establishment of a consortium of medical specialists, the powers of its members, and details other issues related to patient health.
A patient wishing to start hormone therapy in Lithuania will have to apply to his/her family doctor or a psychiatrist providing primary outpatient mental health care for a referral to a specialist consortium of doctors. In the case of prescription of medication, each patient will be provided with a comprehensive treatment and monitoring plan tailored to their health needs. Diagnosis and treatment services (as for other disorders or diseases in the ICD-10 classification) will be covered by the Compulsory Health Insurance Fund.
After losing the case before the ECtHR, Lithuania was obliged to report regularly on the progress made in ensuring the rights of transgender people. On 1 July 2022, the United Nations Human Rights Council adopted Lithuania's third cycle report of the Universal Periodic Review, which also highlights the need to ensure the rights of transgender people in the provision of health services in the recommendations made by Member States to improve the human rights situation in Lithuania. The content of the newly adopted document will therefore be analysed by international institutions, both in terms of the country's reputation and the progress made in terms of human rights.
References:
• Link to case information here.
• Link to the description of the procedure for the diagnosis and treatment of Gender Identity Disorder (transsexualism) here.
Press Service of the Ministry of Health
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Last updated: 10-07-2023
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