Udupi: Kasturba Hospital, Manipal, has carried out its first full gender-affirming surgery for a transgender woman. The surgery went well, and the patient is now recovering under the hospital team’s care. The hospital says this is an important step in its efforts to ensure every patient feel welcome and well cared for.The plastic surgery department has been performing gender-affirming procedures for some time now, including facial feminisation and breast augmentation, helping several transgender patients over the years. This is the first time the team has carried out a full gender-affirming genital surgery, working closely with the urology department.The surgery was led by Dr Joseph Thomas, professor and head of plastic surgery, and Dr Harshavardhan Shetty, associate professor, along with their team. Dr Anupam Choudhary from the Urology department was also part of the team.The patient is now receiving proper pain management, wound care, and counseling support, as part of the recovery plan. “Most patients who come to us for this surgery have waited a long time, sometimes years, to feel comfortable in their own body. This surgery needs careful planning, and the teamwork across departments here at Kasturba Hospital made a big difference to how smoothly things went,” said Dr Joseph Thomas.
