17-year-old undergoes sex change
Rabia, subjected to years of bullying and pain, begins new life as Umair.
BUNER:
A 17-year-old girl, named Rabia, will start life as Muhammad Umair after undergoing a successful gender reassignment surgery (GRS) in Daggar tehsil, Buner district.
The sex reassignment surgery was carried out at the Parkash Medical Centre Daggar after a thorough check up.
“The girl came to my wife’s clinic after complaining of chronic pain in her kidney,” Dr Parkash, who performed the surgery, told The Express Tribune. He added that she informed him about not having any female organs. “We approached Dr Sher Bahadar, another senior surgeon, who suggested carrying out a sex reassignment surgery.”
The total cost of the surgery was Rs150,000 but Dr Prakash conducted it free of cost on a humanitarian basis.
“Since I belonged to a poor family myself, I aim to provide free treatment to underprivileged communities,” he said.
Dr Prakash stressed that while Umair’s physical transition was successful, he now needs a psychological change. His company should be converted from women to men so he is able to adjust in society, he said.
“We have offered him a job in our centre so he can gain confidence as well as for financial assistance,” the doctor added. Umair, who has three sisters and five brothers and a blind and deaf father, is a resident of Ghazi Khana, a remote village of Buner district.
“I wanted to commit suicide because of the way my brothers and sisters behaved with me. My shave would grow and everyone would make fun of me. Our neighbours wouldn’t let me enter their houses,” Umair told The Express Tribune, adding that he was very happy following the surgery.
Although, Umair’s brothers were not happy and felt disgraced about their sister’s sex change, his parents are very happy.
“Our joy knows no bounds for having a new son as we were in perpetual tension about [Rabia/Umair],” Umair’s mother, Bakthe Kheraja, told The Express Tribune.
“Actually, she wasn’t happy with life because of her family’s misconduct with her. When I came to know about her real problem, I consulted many doctors and at last Dr Parkash really came through,” Farooq, a social worker from the area, who played a vital role in helping Umair, told The Express Tribune.
Umair called on the government to help him find a job and get married, in order to get on with his new life.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 26th, 2012.
A 17-year-old girl, named Rabia, will start life as Muhammad Umair after undergoing a successful gender reassignment surgery (GRS) in Daggar tehsil, Buner district.
The sex reassignment surgery was carried out at the Parkash Medical Centre Daggar after a thorough check up.
“The girl came to my wife’s clinic after complaining of chronic pain in her kidney,” Dr Parkash, who performed the surgery, told The Express Tribune. He added that she informed him about not having any female organs. “We approached Dr Sher Bahadar, another senior surgeon, who suggested carrying out a sex reassignment surgery.”
The total cost of the surgery was Rs150,000 but Dr Prakash conducted it free of cost on a humanitarian basis.
“Since I belonged to a poor family myself, I aim to provide free treatment to underprivileged communities,” he said.
Dr Prakash stressed that while Umair’s physical transition was successful, he now needs a psychological change. His company should be converted from women to men so he is able to adjust in society, he said.
“We have offered him a job in our centre so he can gain confidence as well as for financial assistance,” the doctor added. Umair, who has three sisters and five brothers and a blind and deaf father, is a resident of Ghazi Khana, a remote village of Buner district.
“I wanted to commit suicide because of the way my brothers and sisters behaved with me. My shave would grow and everyone would make fun of me. Our neighbours wouldn’t let me enter their houses,” Umair told The Express Tribune, adding that he was very happy following the surgery.
Although, Umair’s brothers were not happy and felt disgraced about their sister’s sex change, his parents are very happy.
“Our joy knows no bounds for having a new son as we were in perpetual tension about [Rabia/Umair],” Umair’s mother, Bakthe Kheraja, told The Express Tribune.
“Actually, she wasn’t happy with life because of her family’s misconduct with her. When I came to know about her real problem, I consulted many doctors and at last Dr Parkash really came through,” Farooq, a social worker from the area, who played a vital role in helping Umair, told The Express Tribune.
Umair called on the government to help him find a job and get married, in order to get on with his new life.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 26th, 2012.