TRANSGENDER PERSON-CENTERED CARE IN PANDEMIC TIMES

Abstract

Introduction and Objectives: This article aims to outline the need for a person-centered approach to sexual health for transgender people in COVID-19 pandemic times.Methods: These involved reviews of international healthcare standards and the principles and strategies of person-centered health care, which articulate science and humanism. Ethical imperatives, including respect for all persons’ dignity and “first do not harm” as well as scientific considerations, including recognition of the eco-bio-psycho-social-spiritual multidimensionality of person and health were attended to.Results: The approach outlined here attends to Universal Sexual Rights, and the multidimensionality of persons’ sexual diversity, in the context of the current pandemic. This is illustrated through the Gender Identity Law enacted by the Argentine Ministry of Health in 2014 and its 2020 amendment, formulated in the face of the pandemic. The healthcare approach outlined here involves recommendations to promote access to health care for transgender, transvestite, and sexual non-binary people in the context of the pandemic.Conclusions: All persons can present and experience a unique and multidimensional sexual profile that should be assessed thoroughly within the multidimensional framework of total health and total person. Health care should be scientifically thorough, provided prudently, informed by the “first do not harm” ethical principle, fully respectful of human and sexual rights and responsibilities, and aimed at advancing total health and complete well-being for all throughout their life course.