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Jennifer Shields: 50-year wait in NZ for gender reassignment surgery

Author
Newstalk ZB staff,
Publish Date
Thu, 1 Sep 2016, 8:09AM
Jennifer Shields says the Ministry of Health needs to fund more transgender surgeries. Photo / Michael Craig

Jennifer Shields: 50-year wait in NZ for gender reassignment surgery

Author
Newstalk ZB staff,
Publish Date
Thu, 1 Sep 2016, 8:09AM

A desperate attempt to get on New Zealand's gender reassignment surgery waiting list.

Jennifer Shields is trying to get on the list, which currently has 88 people on it, with a 50-year wait.

The Ministry of Health funds four of these surgeries every two years and they're all done overseas.

Shields has been on hormone therapy for three years and told Mike Hosking unless things change here, her reassignment surgery won't be viable.

"At the moment, not really. If I got on it now, I would be 71 by the time I got the surgery. At which point it would probably be a health risk to go ahead with it, so it's kind of pointless."

She said there need to be more resources made available here for these life-changing surgeries.

"For the people who need this, this surgery is absolutely a life-saver that improves physical well-being and mental well-being to such an incredible extent. It is definitely necessary and not a cosmetic procedure like a lot of people seem to think it is."

LISTEN ABOVE: Jennifer Shields speaks with Mike Hosking

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