New Hope for Transgender Community as Nepal Performs First Gender Reassignment Surgery

Nepal has achieved a major milestone in healthcare with the successful completion of its first gender reassignment surgery. The procedure was performed at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital (TUTH) in Maharajgunj on a 25-year-old transgender woman from Janakpur. Doctors reconstructed female genitalia using male genital tissue, marking a historic moment in Nepal’s medical field.

This surgery was part of a special surgical camp organized by the hospital’s Plastic Surgery Department, aimed at providing healthcare services to the transgender community. In addition to gender reassignment, facial and breast surgeries were also performed during the camp to help individuals better align their appearance with their gender identity.

According to hospital spokesperson and Associate Professor Dr. Gopal Sedhai, this service will now be made available regularly in Nepal. He said this development will save transgender individuals from the need to travel abroad for such complex and costly procedures. “This brings great relief to the transgender community by offering essential, gender-affirming surgeries within the country,” Dr. Sedhai said.

The surgery was led by Dr. Eliza Hamidian Jahromi, an international plastic surgeon, with support from Prof. Dr. Jayanman Shrestha, head of the department, and the hospital’s full surgical and anesthesia team. Dr. Shrestha also announced plans to open a Gender Affirming Clinic at TUTH to provide regular and long-term services to the transgender community.