The Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital said it has successfully carried out a sex reaffirmation surgery at the hospital.

This marks the first time such a procedure has been undertaken in Nepal. In the past, transgender Nepalis needed to travel abroad, mostly to India or Thailand, for such surgeries.

“Yes, we have successfully carried out sex change surgery on a 25-year-old transgender woman from Janakpur,” said Dr Jayan Man Shrestha, head of the Plastic Surgery Department at the hospital. “The surgery was successful and the patient has already been discharged.”

The hospital sought the help of foreign experts for the surgery.

According to the hospital administration, Dr Alireza Hamidian Jaromi, an LGBTQ-affirming plastic surgeon at Temple Health in the US, led a team of TUTH doctors in performing the surgery.

The team comprised Dr Shrestha and other plastic surgeons serving at the hospital, including Dr Ishwar Lohani, Dr Sangam Rayamajhi, Dr Samit Sharma, Dr Bikesh Rajbandari, Dr Himalaya Niraula, and resident doctors.

Doctors removed the penis and the testes and used tissues from the penis to construct the vagina, clitoris, and labia. This procedure is called vaginal construction or vaginoplasty.

Doctors at the hospital said that the person sought only sex change surgery and did not seek breast augmentation or facial surgery to achieve feminine features.

“We are ready to provide other surgeries, if the person requests them,” said Shrestha.

Doctors say that with the start of this service at the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, many transgender people seeking sex reassignment surgery will now be able to access gender-affirming care within the country.

“We hope the person who underwent the surgery has now achieved the gender identity of his choice,” said Dr Lohani, a consultant plastic surgeon at the hospital. “Others can also get the service at the hospital. The procedure costs only around Rs150,000 to Rs200,000, which is about the same price as a plane ticket to go abroad.”

Due to a lack of such services in Nepal, sexual and gender minorities were previously forced to travel to India, Thailand, and other countries for expensive and sometimes risky surgeries.

The hospital plans to set up a gender-affirming clinic to better serve transgender people and continue these services.

“Those who want to undergo sex-reassignment surgery can contact doctors at the outpatient department of the plastic surgery unit of our hospital,” said Shrestha, the department head. “Some people have already expressed interest in the service.”

Although surgeries are not required for gender affirmation, many patients seek surgical procedures to align their physical appearance with their gender identity.