India’s first three clinics for the transgender community last month closed after a stop-work order of the US Agency for International Development (USAID), who funded them, disrupted services for around 5,000 people, the Reuters quoted two sources.
US President Donald Trump ordered a 90-day stagnation on all foreign aid in January, pending a review to ensure that all projects funded with American taxpayer funds have been tied up with their “US first” policy.
Trump repeatedly criticized that he asked USAID to spend $ 21 million on “voter voting” in India. The Center said that it was investigating last week.
The main losers after the fund freeze are three friend (friend) clinics in India that are mostly run by doctors, counselors and other workers of the transgender community and serve up to 5,000 people, stated by sources. Both refused to name the case, citing the sensitivity of the case.
Both Trump Ellie Elon Musk and Republican Senator John Kennedy have criticized transgender funding.
“The same US tax dollars were funding,” Musk said on the X on Friday that in response to a post about the first closure of Mitar clinics launched in Southern Indian city of Hyderabad in 2021.
Other clinics are located in welfare and cities of Pune.
Guidance on hormone therapy and drug, consultation with mental health, along with consultation on HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases, and legal aid, in addition to general medical care, all services, including all services, said a website for three clinics.
Each of them required up to Rs 30 lakh per year ($ 34,338) to run and employ about eight people, a source said that they were looking for funding, public or private alternative sources.
However, the organizers of clinics are exempted from USAID to run some life-saving activities, including providing antiretroviral drugs to HIV-infected people, stated by sources.
All the clinic is infected with HIV up to 10% of the customers, one of the sources said.
A doctor said, “We did some very good things in friendly clinics.” “I am proud of what we achieved there.”
(Except for the headline, the story has not been edited by NDTV employees and is published by a syndicated feed.)
