How India’s first transgender doctor to head a Covid-19 vaccination centre inspires, one dose at a time

Dr Aqsa Shaikh – a medical professor, writer, volunteer and social activist – wants to make the most of her life after transitioning

She says the fact that a trans person rarely achieves such a role highlights the barriers and discrimination that transgender people still face in India

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Aqsa Shaikh at the coronavirus vaccination centre she heads in New Delhi, India. She fears the vaccination process may deter transgender people, many of whom are fearful of being discriminated against. Photo: Adnan Bhat

Published: 3:00pm, 11 Mar 2021Updated: 5:50pm, 11 Mar 2021

When Dr Aqsa Shaikh announced on Twitter last week that she had been appointed to head a Covid-19 vaccination centre in New Delhi, her timeline was inundated with hundreds of congratulatory messages. Most notably, the 38-year-old was lauded for being the first and only transgender woman in India to have been given such a position.

As a senior faculty member at the Hamdard Institute of Medical Science and Research, she was already heavily involved in the battle against the pandemic and a natural choice for the job. Before India rolled out its vaccination drive on January 16, Shaikh was in charge of Covid-19 surveillance at the institute’s hospital, collating data on the number of infections, deaths and recoveries.

India is the second-worst hit country in the world after the US, with over 11.2 million coronavirus cases and nearly 158,000 deaths.

While it was a proud moment for her both personally and professionally, she said the fact that a trans person rarely made it to such a position highlighted the barriers and discrimination that transgender people still faced in India.

“There are thousands of vaccination centres in India and I’m the only trans person that has been appointed as the head of a Covid-19 vaccination centre, and that is a little disappointing,” she told This Week in Asia.

Shaikh also lamented the overall lack of transgender people in the medical profession in the country. “We have a pan-India group for trans medicos. But unfortunately there are just 15 members in it. Which is nothing in a country with a population of over 1.3 billion people, and only goes on to show how difficult it is for trans people to achieve their goals even in this day and age.”

Born, raised and educated in Mumbai, Shaikh said she struggled with her identity during her student years and wanted to transition to female. But her family did not support this and their relationship became increasingly fraught.

“When I told my family about my decision to transition they were completely against the idea,” she recalled.

How India’s first transgender doctor to head a Covid-19 vaccination centre inspires, one dose at a time

Dr Aqsa Shaikh – a medical professor, writer, volunteer and social activist – wants to make the most of her life after transitioning She says the fact that a trans person rarely achieves such a role highlights the barriers and discrimination that transgender people still face in India

Dr Aqsa Shaikh – a medical professor, writer, volunteer and social activist – wants to make the most of her life after transitioning

She says the fact that a trans person rarely achieves such a role highlights the barriers and discrimination that transgender people still face in India