By Anuradha Gandhi and Surbhi Gandotra
Introduction
In a recent directive reinforcing inclusive health case, the Tamil Nadu medical Council (TNMC) has mandated LGBTQIA+ sensitisation and transgender health training for all doctors, medical faculty members, and students across the state. This makes Tamil Nadu the first state to institutionalise such comprehensive training within Continuing Medical Education (CME) programmes.
The important Directives from the Tamil Nadu Medical Council
As per the TNMC circular issued on September 12, 2025(not available on the TNMC website), all CME programmes are now required to include dedicated sessions on inclusive healthcare, transgender rights, and the ethical responsibilities of healthcare professionals in treating sexual and gender minorities.
- Compliance report must be submitted within 30 days of the session.
- The TNMC will verify the records and may initiate disciplinary action for non-compliance, including in cases of coercive practices like conversions therapy, which the council has declared professional misconduct.[1]
The TMNC underscore that empathy and respect are essential to ethical medical practice, asserting that inclusive trainings helps counter the systematic discrimination faced by the queer and transgender individuals in healthcare.
Linkage with State Policy for transgender Persons, 2025
This directive follows the State Policy for the transgender person, 2025[2] unveiled by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin in July 2025[3]. The policy affirms gender self-identification rights, expands access to gender affirming healthcare and proposes state-funded scholarships, short- stay homes, and legal aid-frameworks for the transgender and intersex persons. It also mandates nodal counsellors in medical and educational institutions and establishes a state and district level oversight committees to monitor implementation.
Together the policy and TMNC directive represents Tamil Nadu’s most comprehensive legal and administrative effort yet to institutionalise dignity, safety and inclusivity in professional and public life.
National Context: A corrective Step
Tamil Nadu’s move arrive amid growing concerns over regressive trends in India’s national medical curriculum. In recent updated the National Medical Commission (NMC) has controversially reintroduced outdated topics like “Sodomy” and “Lesbianism” as “unnatural sexual offences” in forensic medical modules, rolling back earlier inclusivity reforms directed by the Madras High Court in 2022. Critics argue that such reinstatements stigmatize queer identities and diverge from international medical ethics.
By Contrast, Tamil Nadu’s mandate reorients training towards scientific, rights- based and compassionate care, setting a model for other Indian states and medical councils.
Legal and Ethical Significance
The TNMC’s mandate align with:
- The Hon’ble Supreme Court’s judgment in NALSA vs. Union of India 2014 affirming the right to self-identification of the gender.
- The Indian Psychiatric Society’s 2018 declaration that homosexuality and gender variance are not mental disorder.
The initiative also operationalize Constitutional guarantees under Articles 14, 15, and 21, ensuring dignity and non-discrimination for all persons and
- Improve access to safe, non-judgmental healthcare for queer and transgender persons.
- Build trust between marginalised communities and medical institutions.
- Equip doctors and students with scientific knowledge about gender and sexuality, reducing harmful stereotypes.
- Encourage inclusive practices in hospitals, clinics, and educational institutions, thereby promoting dignity and equality at the same time.
Implications for Medical Institutions:
Medical colleges and institutions must take immediate actions:
- Embed LGBTQIA+ health modules into academic curriculum.
- Partner with law firms or community led organisations to design sensitisation sessions.
- Submit CME compliance report to TNMC within stipulated timeline.
- Ensuring disciplinary action against the violations of ethical standards, including coercive treatment or Misgendering practices.
The basic purpose of this directive is to address systemic discrimination and neglect faced by LGBTQIA+ and transgender persons in healthcare.
With this directive the Tamil Nadu Government marks a transformative moment for the healthcare governance. It redefines medical ethics to include gender diversity and inclusivity as key competencies. In a nation where queer and transgender persons often face misdiagnosis, Misgendering and denial of care, this reform is both preventive and restorative and a reminder that queer and trans health is public health.[4]
[1]https://www.tamilnadumedicalcouncil.org/info/FX678XSBD