Government to pay for gender-affirming surgery in Belgium
Agreement has been reached with University Hospital UZ Ghent
The government will now fund gender-affirming surgery in Belgium, Health Minister Jo Etienne Abela has said.
Speaking to Times of Malta, Abela said the Maltese government had signed an agreement with University Hospital UZ Ghent, which is now in effect.
Abela said the agreement, brokered by Chief Government Medical Officer Clarence Pace, will cost the government €400,000 over three years.
“The prestigious hospital will offer surgery to patients of ours following multi-disciplinary talks in Malta at the gender well-being clinic.”
All patients are first assessed by the clinic, he said.
Surgeries that the hospital will perform include phalloplasty (construction of a penis), vaginoplasty (construction of a vagina) and vulvaplasty (construction of the vulva), Abela said.
Besides paying for surgery, the government will also pay for flights and accommodation for patients, he said.
Gender affirming surgeries are a range of medical procedures designed to align a person’s physical appearance with their gender identity. These procedures can include chest reshaping, genital surgery or facial operations to change features like the jawline or nose.
Mater Dei Hospital performs gender affirming surgeries, including mastectomy, breast augmentation, as well as orchidectomy and hysterectomy.
An orchidectomy involves the surgical removal of one or both testicles while a hysterectomy is the removal of the uterus.
Mater Dei Hospital does not perform the surgeries being offered at the Ghent hospital.
The Malta Gay Rights Movement (MGRM) recently called on the government to fund gender-affirming surgeries following news that Malta dropped to second place in the European index that measures LGBTIQ protection and human rights.
It said it was not worried by Malta losing the top spot.
“We do not believe this is worrying for Malta, as our situation has not deteriorated.
“We’re happy that a country like Spain has been moving forward in terms of legislation.
“However, our situation has become a bit stagnant when it comes to the advancement of certain rights,” the MGRM pointed out.
Abela said the agreement is possible via the EU’s ‘S2’ scheme that allows citizens to receive planned medical treatment in another member state at the expense of their home country’s public healthcare system.