Transgender people in North Macedonia are affected by inequalities in access to healthcare, including limited access to routine healthcare services, as well as healthcare related to gender-based medical confirmation.
The most common problems in accessing healthcare services for transgender people who have decided to undergo the process of medical gender confirmation are not fully covered health insurance for hormone therapy and not covering other medical interventions (surgical and non-surgical). It has been documented that this contributes to additional health risk due to procurement and use of therapy and treatments without proper medical supervision, as well as to existential risk due to the financial burden arising from non-coverage of health services. These risks make this marginalized and economically unstable community even more vulnerable.
The research report is intended for all stakeholders, as well as decision and policy makers, and provides insight into the existing healthcare and prevention services for transgender people in North Macedonia, but also provides recommendations for improving the general healthcare for transgender people, according their individual needs.
The publication “Compatibility Assessment of the Existing Healthcare and Prevention Services with the Needs of Transgender People in North Macedonia” is created by STAR-The First Sex Workers Collective in the Balkans in collaboration with TransFormA – Initiative for Protection and Promotion of Transgender People’s Rights in the Republic of North Macedonia as a part of our project “Coordinated, Synchronized and Comprehensive Healthcare Services for Transgender People Undergoing Transition in the Republic of North Macedonia”, funded by Eurasian Key Populations Coalition (EKPC) in the framework of “Gender and HIV” grants. With additional funding secured through TransFormA and the partners Coalition MARGINS and Foundation Open Society – Macedonia, the publication will be printed in hard copy. A brief summary of the publication soon will be available in English.
The research report is available only in Macedonian language and can be accessed/downloaded here:
Download or read the briefing paper “Compatibility of the Existing Healthcare and Prevention Services with the Needs of Transgender People in North Macedonia“ of HERE.