New Trans Health Service at Groote Schuur Hospital

A vital Trans Health Service has opened at Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town, operated by the Desmond Tutu Health Foundation.

The service marks an important step forward for transgender and gender-diverse people who have struggled to access healthcare since the closure of donor-funded clinics such as Wits RHI (Bellville) and Ivan Toms (Green Point).

According to Dr Yashna Singh, Medical Officer at the Desmond Tutu Health Foundation, the new service is designed as a “temporary, stopgap measure” to ensure continuity of care while the Department of Health works to integrate gender-affirming services into primary healthcare facilities.

“We started about three weeks ago and have already seen around 15 clients,” says Singh. “This clinic exists to ease the burden on tertiary institutions and to ensure that people who were previously on hormones and lost access can continue receiving care in a respectful and affirming environment.”

The clinic offers a comprehensive package of care including hormone therapy, psychosocial assessments, HIV testing and treatment, PrEP, STI screening and treatment, and access to a visiting therapist.

“We also refer clients to partner organisations such as Triangle Project and Gender DynamiX for counselling and community-based support,” Singh explains. “Where necessary, we assist with referrals for surgeries and other gender-affirming procedures at Groote Schuur Hospital.”

Funded through ELMA Philanthropies and First Rand Empowerment Foundation, the service is expected to operate until March 2026. “If we can show that a clinic like this can deliver respectful, holistic, and high-quality care, it could help shape how trans health is delivered in the public system,” says Singh.

Singh adds that outreach remains a challenge: “Access isn’t just about having a clinic, it’s about ensuring people know it exists and can get to it. We’ve begun spreading information through our partners and already have clients travelling from as far as Paarl and Bellville. Our hope is to eventually take this care to communities directly, perhaps even through a mobile service.”

The Trans Health Service at Groote Schuur Hospital is open by appointment only. Clients are asked to bring their ID and a referral letter or clinic folder.

Location: Groote Schuur Hospital, Observatory, Cape Town
Bookings: Call or WhatsApp 083 562 1839 for appointments.