‘Happy but not happy’: Telangana doctor becomes 1st transgender to join PG course after legal battle

“Thanks to the Telangana High Court’s recent interim order, I got a seat in emergency medicine at ESI hospital. But I was given allotment under the category for Scheduled Caste – Women and not as a transwoman. Also, I wanted to specialise in obstetrics and gynaecology and I will try again in the second phase of counselling for my choice,” Dr Koyyala told indianexpress.com.

The battle for acceptance is not over yet. After the court’s interim order, in the first phase of counselling, Dr Kaloji Narayana Rao University of Health Sciences (KNRUHS) gave her a choice of either an MD in emergency medicine at ESI Hospital or an MD in pathology at Osmania Medical College.

“The court said I could opt for the department of my choice. But what I got is not my choice. If I do not get an OB-GYN in the second phase of counselling, I have no option but to continue with emergency medicine. Our legal battle is still going on,” she said, adding “It has been a long struggle of knocking on different doors and garnering support from multiple quarters. So I want to ideally join higher education only as a transgender person. My dream is to become a gynaecologist and serve the community.”

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Her other concern: the annual fee of Rs 2.5 lakh. When she was not able to arrange the fee, the superintendent of Osmania General Hospital B Nagender started a crowdfunding campaign. Soon, with contributions from many well-wishers, they could accumulate up to Rs 1 lakh. An NGO, Helping Hands Foundation, came forward to support her with the balance amount of Rs 1.5 lakh.

“I do not know how I will manage the annual fee as a transwoman with no job or family support. Had I got admitted into state government-run hospitals like Osmania Medical College, Gandhi Medical College or Nizam’s Institute of Medical Science, the annual fee would have been around Rs 20,000,” she added.

When contacted, Dr Koyyala’s counsel Koneru Sagarika said they filed a contempt petition against the government and notices were issued to opposite parties for allotment of a PG seat under the category of women and not giving her admission into the speciality of her choice. “Ruth is being made to compete with other ‘SC-Female’. ‘SC-Female’ and ‘SC-Transgender’ cannot be at the same level since one oppressed section in the society is women and an even more oppressed section is ‘SC-Transgender’,” Sagarika said.

Quoting from Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice T Vinod Kumar’s order dated August 2, 2023, Sagarika added that the state government as well as the Medical Counselling Committee and KNRUHS, which conduct medical counselling for central and state quota, were “directed to extend the petitioner the benefit of third gender status in addition to her status as Scheduled Caste candidate while considering her admission in any of the courses under the Central Quota and the State Quota for NEET-PG 2023 in a manner beneficial to her.”

According to her, Telangana High Court Chief Justice Ujjal Bhuyan and Justice N Tukaramji in their order dated July 20, 2023, clearly stated that Koyyala be extended the benefit of third gender in addition to her SC status “in any of the courses either under the central quota or under the State quota for NEET PG 2023 in a manner which is beneficial to the petitioner”. “They have violated the court’s orders where they were supposed to extend the benefit under the ‘third gender’ category,” she added.

Admitting that Dr Koyyala’s PG admission is certainly some progress in their fight, activist Vyjayanti Vasanta Mogli said Koyyala had to approach the high court and the matter had to be litigated only because there are no reservations or policy on reservations, particularly horizontal reservations for transgender persons, like what women have in Telangana.

“It is the sheer policy vacuum in terms of horizontal reservations that women enjoy in education and employment in Telangana, that has been deprived to transgender persons. Had there been horizontal reservations for transgender persons, she would have got a seat in Gandhi or Osmania where the annual fee is much less,” she added.