Kathmandu. Nepal has successfully performed its first male-to-female sex reassignment surgery (SRS) on a transgender individual. Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital (TUTH) announced this historic achievement during a press conference on Sunday.
The significant surgery was carried out by TUTH’s Department of Plastic, Reconstructive, and Aesthetic Surgery as part of a special surgical camp held from Jestha 12 to 15, 2082 BS (May 25-28, 2025). The camp focused on various procedures related to facial, breast, and genital reconstruction.
According to a statement released by the hospital, “This sex change operation, performed on a 25-year-old transgender individual from Janakpur, involved reconstructing female external genitalia using male genital tissues as needed. It is expected to help the individual achieve their desired gender identity.”
The complex surgery was led by foreign expert plastic surgeon Dr. Alireza Hamidian Jaroomi and coordinated by Department Head Prof. Dr. Jayen Man Shrestha. The surgical team included Dr. Ishwor Lohani, Dr. Sangam Raymajhi, Dr. Sameet Sharma, Dr. Bikesh Rajbhandari, Dr. Himalaya Niraula, and resident doctors Dr. Anup Thapa, Dr. Sudip Pandit, Dr. Ashish Adhikari, Dr. Novel, Dr. Isha, and Dr. Ashwin. Anesthesia services were provided by a team led by Dr. Megha Koirala and Dr. Pankaj Joshi.
Following this success, Department Head Dr. Jayen Man Shrestha announced that TUTH is moving forward with establishing a Gender Affirmation Clinic. This clinic plans to regularly provide gender-affirming services, including surgical reconstruction, after necessary physical and psychological evaluations for the transgender community.
It is believed that the availability of this service in Nepal will bring significant relief to the transgender community, who previously had to travel abroad and incur high costs for such procedures. Prof. Dr. Gopal Sedhai stated, “Until now, there was a compulsion to go abroad for this operation, and it was very expensive. But with this facility now available in Nepal, the transgender community will get a lot of relief.”
This initiative aims to provide respect and accessible healthcare services to transgender individuals who have unique social, psychological, emotional, and physical identities.