Why transgender people can't get surgery approval in Thunder Bay
Access to sex reassignment surgery a 'huge problem' in Ontario
Transgender advocates are hoping that sex reassignment surgery may soon be easier to attain for people in northern Ontario.
At present, approval for publicly funded sex reassignment surgery in the province can only be obtained through one clinic, at the Canadian Association of Mental Health (CAMH) in Toronto.
There are currently close to 1000 people on the waiting list for a first assessment, and the estimated wait time for that first appointment is two years.
"The current system is a huge problem," said Jordan Zaitzow, who coordinates the Trans Health Connection program at the organization Rainbow Health Ontario.
"The CAMH gender identity clinic is a very small clinic... they've been completely overwhelmed by people needing surgical approvals since the day they opened, and the numbers of folks who are needing surgeries continues to grow exponentially every single year," said Zaitzow.
The current system can be especially challenging for people who live outside of the GTA, in communities such as Thunder Bay, because of the added distance from the approval site, said Zaitzow.
Anticipated changes spark hope
In recent years, there's been a "huge push" on the Ministry of Health and Long Term care to change the system, which makes one clinic the gatekeeper for an entire province, and leaves vulnerable people to languish on wait lists, said Zaitzow.
The Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term care says it is looking into options to reduce wait times, and the expectation is that the rules will soon change, although no specific announcements have been made.
Zaitzow says he's optimistic that the changes could make it possible for people in northern Ontario to access surgery approval at home.
Listen to this audio story to learn more about the challenges of accessing sex reassignment surgery in northern Ontario:
