Vision for Transgender Healthcare Under the 2022 Health Reforms

PATHA has created a document that provides a vision for transgender healthcare in the context of the current health reforms. We created it to give PATHA members a chance to have their say and give feedback about what our association is proposing to the Associate Minister of Health and the Ministry of Health. Another reason for creating this document is to inform PATHA members and the general public about what PATHA is seeking in this consultation.

Guided by a Te Tiriti o Waitangi framework, our vision for transgender healthcare under the current health reforms includes the following:

●        Resourcing and empowering primary care 

o    Improving access through an informed consent model of gender affirming care

●        Increased capacity for gender affirming surgeries

o    Increase provision and equity

o    Clear pathways and with transparent nationally-agreed criteria

To achieve full access to appropriate care, we prose for a transgender healthcare resourcing hub to be set up as part of Te Whatu Ora / Health New Zealand and Te Aka Whai Ora / Māori Health Authority. This new hub would not provide care directly, but would focus on coordinating, resourcing, empowering, and educating for this care in the new health system. This new hub should aim to achieve full access to person-centred gender affirming healthcare for all transgender people, regardless of their location, and promote transgender cultural safety and awareness within the wider healthcare system. To achieve this, we propose the hub include the following enabling strategies:

●        Peer health navigators and support

●        Education, resources, and professional development for healthcare staff

●        Promoting healing focused care

●        Accountability and transgender community leadership