Successful transgender surgery at LGH

LAHORE : For the first time in the history of Lahore General Hospital, Amara, a matriculation student, was made a boy after undergoing an operation.

Under the supervision of the Head of the Department Plastic Surgery Dr Roomana Ikhlaq, assistant professors Dr Nasrullah and Dr Muhammad Imran completed this gender reassignment procedure after performing a complicated but successful surgery of four hours. The patient was discharged from the hospital after recovery.

Principal Ameer Uddin Medical College Prof Dr Sardar Muhammad Al-Freed Zafar while congratulating the doctors on the first successful transgender operation through plastic surgery at LGH said that it is a practical proof of their professionalism and competence which is highly admirable and commendable.

Talking to the media in this regard, Dr Roomana Akhlaq said Amara underwent a complete medical examination on arrival at the hospital and after various diagnostic tests in the light of which it was decided to perform the operation which was successful. Gynaecologist Prof Al-freed Zafar while talking to the media said that gender reassignment is not possible in Pakistan as a fashion. Only when the boy or girl shows signs of the opposite sex, hormonal changes and other such issues in the early childhood, then the doctors check up the patient and determine whether the sex change of the said boy or girl is necessary and due. He said that such gender reassignment operations are being carried out in Pakistan as per requirement but not as a fashion like other countries.

The family of Ammar thanked the doctors, nurses and paramedics for taking better care of their patient and expressed their happiness over their daughter’s change of gender. They said right from childhood she was showing different signs like why and by the time she reached puberty, his face had begun to grow like a man's, and a hormonal check-up was done, which was performed by doctors at the General Hospital, who undertook this complex operation. After the sex change, Ammar said he is thankful to Allah Almighty and the addition of a boy in ‘our family is a reward from nature on which everyone is happy about’.

Ammar's mother said such operations cost millions of rupees in private sector but the administration and doctors of the LGH have provided the best medical facilities free of cost.