Transgender Health Care in Europe: France

In France all the SRS procedures are free of any charges, thanks to the state-funded national health insurance. A new law (nov 18, 2016) allows transgender people to change their identity without any medical prerequisite. [ view full abstract ]

In France all the SRS procedures are free of any charges, thanks to the state-funded national health insurance.

A new law (nov 18, 2016) allows transgender people to change their identity without any medical prerequisite.

There are 4 complete and fully experienced medical teams which supports transgender health care in France from the late 1970s. All these teams work in university public hospitals : Paris, Lyon, Bordeaux, Marseille. Today they... [ view full abstract ]

There are 4 complete and fully experienced medical teams which supports transgender health care in France from the late 1970s. All these teams work in university public hospitals : Paris, Lyon, Bordeaux, Marseille. Today they perform grossly between 500 and 600 surgical procedures a year.

Bringing together these roughly 40 persons, a medical society was created in 2010, the SoFECT (“Société Française d’Etudes et de prise en Charge du Transsexualisme”). This society published a charter, a formal document describing the principles of the organization of the clinical practices for transgender health care in France. All the professional members of SoFECT commit themselves to respect it. Largely inspired by the 7th version of the WPATH standards of care, this document was revised in 2015, taking in account children and adolescents. Its main goal is to standardize the care path in the country.

With four universities, the SoFECT organizes a multidisciplinary university diploma for formation for transgender healthcare. This diploma is a very powerful and effective tool to get gradually more and more medical teams... [ view full abstract ]

With four universities, the SoFECT organizes a multidisciplinary university diploma for formation for transgender healthcare. This diploma is a very powerful and effective tool to get gradually more and more medical teams involved in the network of the SoFECT. It is more than necessary, because as everywhere in the world, the number of transgender people seeking medical care is dramatically increasing in France.