Hong Kong to get its first sex-change centre
Transsexuals will have facility dedicated to their needs at Prince of Wales Hospital amid greater demand for gender reassignment
The first medical centre for transsexuals will be established at the public Prince of Wales Hospital, to meet increasing demand from patients diagnosed with gender identity disorder.
At least two surgeons will take over the work of Dr Albert Yuen Wai-cheung - the only doctor in Hong Kong performing sex-change surgery - after his retirement in 2015.
"We feel that it is time for us to reorganise our service in the face of an increasing demand and the upcoming retirement of Dr Yuen," Hospital Authority chief executive Leung Pak-yin said while he was announcing the plan yesterday.
"The demand is due to the increased openness of society, and more patients who are now willing to seek help."
The news came four months after a groundbreaking Hong Kong court decision allowing a female transsexual to marry her boyfriend.
The number of patients seeking gender counselling rose from 46 in 2008 to 95 last year, while those diagnosed with gender identity disorder rose from 34 in 2008 to 70 last year.
About 10 per cent were referred for psychiatric assessment of their suitability for surgery, and the number actually having the operation ranged from two to six a year over the period.