Aqsa Shaikh

A doctor writes on Sejal Pawar row: Where is the empathy in medical training?

June 15,2026 12:15:28 PM

Sensitisation needs to begin early in medical education, and the dissection hall is the first place in the long journey of a medical student where the importance of dignity is learnt

We, the transgender people of India, reject the erasure of our identitySubscriber Only

March 18,2026 12:21:42 PM

By narrowing the definition of gender and mandating invasive medical boards, the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Bill, 2026, violates the spirit of NALSA and the right to privacy

Blanket ban on blood donation by trans people, sex workers: Ensuring blood safety is non-negotiable. But stigmatising policies is the wrong way to ensure itSubscriber Only

June 15,2025 13:01:47 PM

India faces a massive shortfall of blood. In this context, excluding willing, healthy donors based on outdated, unscientific reasons defies logic. Blood donation should save lives, not exclude some people or add to the stigma around a few communities

How India can become the vishwaguru for transgender healthcareSubscriber Only

February 18,2025 19:08:02 PM

Under Trump 2.0, there has been an unprovoked assault on transgender rights in the US. The world is looking to India's healthcare systems to provide affordable and dignified services for transgender peoples

Kolkata doctor’s murder: National Medical Commission must step upSubscriber Only

August 11,2024 14:09:18 PM

The Resident Doctors’ Association needs to be provided more say in ensuring safe working and living conditions through joint audits. Medical colleges must invest in adequate and safe accommodation facilities for resident doctors

No, one Centre of Excellence in Transgender Care is not enoughSubscriber Only

December 05,2023 07:00:41 AM

Transgender people are legally guaranteed equal access to healthcare. Yet, it is denied.

This Pride Month, let’s count the wins for queer and trans rightsSubscriber Only

June 08,2023 07:01:09 AM

There has been laudable progress on legislative, judicial fronts in recent years — from abortion rights to grievance redressal mechanisms. But much more needs to happen for our country to be a safe and just space

The welcome message from Supreme Court: Not all women are cis-womenSubscriber Only

October 02,2022 16:22:19 PM

Conceiving the idea of a pregnant person as gender-neutral is a significant step forward in acknowledging the health and reproductive rights of transgender and gender diverse persons.

India at 100 should be a society where gender is not used as a tool to excludeSubscriber Only

September 14,2022 03:45:44 AM

Aqsa Shaikh writes: The current situation makes us ask: Are we keen as a society to undo the historical wrongs committed against the transgender community and ensure equality of rights and opportunities or are we just resisting attempts at revealing our transphobia through cosmetic changes?

In 2022, let’s create gender-positive learning spacesSubscriber Only

April 05,2022 03:40:43 AM

Aqsa Shaikh, Raghav Shukla write: Like NALSAR University in Hyderabad, other educational institutions too should consult stakeholders, especially queer-identifying students and staff, to undertake holistic changes for creating queer-affirmative campuses

Step towards more LGBTQIA+ affirmative medical curriculum doesn’t go far enoughSubscriber Only

October 25,2021 03:43:10 AM

Aqsa Shaikh, Harikeerthan Raghuram write: An advisory issued by the National Medical Commission does not offer specific guidelines for changes, puts onus on medical colleges and authors of textbooks alone and has no clarity on how to tackle queerphobia among current set of health professionals.