Hyderabad's Mitr Clinic, India's first health clinic dedicated to transgender, has shut down. The shutdown comes after a funding freeze by U.S. President Donald Trump, who recently signed an executive order suspending all U.S. foreign assistance for 90 days, including more than $40 billion that flows through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

The sudden cut in funding has derailed a number of international programs, including Project ACCELERATE, under which Mitr Clinic was running. Project ACCELERATE, funded by USAID and the United States President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), was designed to deliver critical healthcare services to the transgender population. Without this money, the clinic was no longer able to continue its operations.

Referring to the shutdown, Rachana, a trans healthcare specialist affiliated with the clinic, confirmed that services were halted shortly after the cut in funding was made known in late January. “We were informed that the U.S. President had announced a halt to our clinic’s funding, and since then, the clinic has been shut,” she said.

USAID fund freeze impact: India's 1st transgender clinic in Hyderabad shuts down

[Source- The Federal News]

A one-stop healthcare hub for the transgender community

Mitr Clinic was founded in Hyderabad's Narayanguda in January 2021 as a groundbreaking initiative to meet the healthcare needs of transgender people. It operated as an integrated care center, providing free general health check-ups, HIV counseling and testing, HIV/STI treatment, mental health care, gender affirmation procedures, and help with legal and social security scheme benefits.

After its huge success, two additional clinics were established in Pune and Thane. Nonetheless, their future is now unknown following the sudden suspension of funding.

As of January 2025, the Hyderabad clinic had seven transgender employees and offered essential healthcare services to 150–200 LGBTQIA+ individuals per month. The shutdown has deprived these workers of employment as well as deprived a marginalized community of an essential healthcare option.

Up to June 2024, the clinic had enrolled more than 4,900 clients, with a focus on treating the high HIV burden among transgender people. The clinic had an HIV positivity rate of 6%, and 83% of the diagnosed individuals had been put on antiretroviral therapy (ART). With its closure, access to these vital treatments has been severely affected.

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