News item | 09-05-2023 | 6:00 PM
In recent years, the demand for transgender care in the Netherlands has risen sharply. This leads to an increase in waiting lists, despite the fact that the range of care has also increased. Minister Kuipers (Public Health, Welfare and Sport) has asked ZonMw to facilitate research with the aim of gaining more insight into the underlying cause of the increasing demand for care and the future demand for transgender care in the Netherlands. This shows, among other things, that broad social acceptance of gender diversity is necessary. The lack of acceptance is largely the cause of the increased demand for healthcare, because healthcare is now the only place where transgender people can go.
Cause of rising demand for transgender care
Radboud University conducted research into the increase in demand for transgender healthcare. According to the research, the increase in the demand for transgender care can be explained by a combination of individual, social and societal factors. There is still insufficient recognition and social acceptance of transgender people. For transgender people, this leads to minority stress, the burden they experience of ‘being different’. This burden leads to questions for them and brings transgender people to the only place where structural attention and care for transgender people is now guaranteed, namely specialist transgender care. This will overflow. In addition, according to the researchers, some care needs are more suitable for regular care, but regular care is not yet sufficiently equipped for this.
Research into the future demand for transgender care
The research into the future demand for transgender care in the Netherlands was carried out by consultancy firm SiRM. They conclude that predicting the future demand for transgender care is difficult because it is highly dependent on developments in society. A number of future scenarios are elaborated in the report, such as greater social acceptance and awareness and further individualisation and customization. Despite the fact that these are estimates, it becomes clear in every scenario that (temporary) catch-up capacity will be needed to shorten the waiting lists.
Societal broad approach
The studies emphatically show an important additional social role for the acceptance of gender diversity. A broad collective social effort – from aid, care and support to emancipation, acceptance and integration – helps to structurally give vulnerable groups a better place in our society.
Minister Kuipers: Transgender people need a society that generously makes room for them. Schools, parents, employers and the social domain must therefore work more with the acceptance of gender diversity. This can also help to prevent the wide range of questions from ending up only with the healthcare sector.
Commitment to care
Extra attention to keep transgender care accessible is and will remain necessary. In view of the increase in care demand and waiting lists in transgender care, the government will continue to make efforts to achieve this. The results of the reports call for a two-track policy in which investments are made in, on the one hand, specialist gender care to reduce waiting lists and, on the other, in increasing knowledge and acceptance of gender diversity in society at large. There is an important role here for all parties involved in healthcare, but also for education and social organisations.
They must each make an effort from their own role and jointly to further improve transgender care and make it more accessible. The cabinet wants to facilitate this cooperation and coordination between parties by setting up an independent and connecting organization for transgender care. A proposal for this will be developed in the coming period.