Bridging Gaps in Healthcare: Enhancing HIV Services for Trans Women in Samarinda

By Inti Muda

In Samarinda, the capital city of East Kalimantan province in Indonesia, young transgender women face serious challenges due to a lack of education and awareness about HIV/AIDS, human rights, SRHR, and SOGIESC. The shortage of resources to educate and support these women makes the situation worse, leading to very few accessing HIV services. According to 2022 data from the Indonesian Family Planning Association (PKBI) East Kalimantan, out of 102 transgender women who used Voluntary Counseling and Testing (VCT) services, only 17 were under 30. This small number is alarming compared to the estimated 120 young transgender women in Samarinda, showing a pressing need for better education and support.

Through the Indonesia Healthy City Pride program supported by Aidsfonds, a program one of whose objectives is to increase access to healthcare service, Inti Muda East Kalimantan was able to conducted an assessment to understand the knowledge and access to human rights, SOGIESC, and health services among young transgender women in Samarinda. The assessment revealed that only 54.55% of these women under 30 were unaware of how to access HIV and STI services.

The limited availability of services is also a concern for Inti Muda West Kalimantan, particularly regarding PrEP services. With only two locations offering PrEP in the city, access among key populations is significantly limited. In response, Inti Muda East Kalimantan initiated advocacy efforts with local healthcare providers and collaborated with community healthcare providers to deliver “Door to Door Healthcare Services” specifically to young transgender women. This advocacy highlights a critical gap in awareness and access, emphasizing the urgent need for targeted educational and advocacy efforts to improve health outcomes for young trans women. The Door to Door project successfully delivered essential services, such as HIV and STI test kits and PrEP. With the implementation of door-to-door health services by Inti Muda East Kalimantan, one of the achievements in healthcare access has been providing PrEP for young LGBTIQ+ individuals.

The advocacy with the Samarinda City Health Office included presenting information on the vulnerability of young transgender women in Samarinda to HIV transmission due to a lack of access to these services. This advocacy meeting with representatives from the Samarinda Health Office addressed concerns about the low access of young transgender women to healthcare services. It led to an agreement to develop a mechanism for collecting feedback from transgender women to improve HIV services in Samarinda City.

The strong partnership between Inti Muda East Kalimantan and the Samarinda City Health Office, powered by impactful advocacy, has led to remarkable achievements. On April 4, 2024, Inti Muda East Kalimantan was invited by the Samarinda Health Office as a community representative to help the government select 10 new locations for PrEP services. By the end of May 2024, these new sites were operational, raising the total number of PrEP services in Samarinda to 12. This success is a testament to Inti Muda East Kalimantan’s effective contributions in establishing youth-friendly services for the LGBTIQ+ community, with a special focus on young transgender women.

The success of this advocacy is evident in the new cooperation with the government to expand services based on assessment data. This represents a major step in combating stigma and discrimination while enhancing healthcare access for transgender women in East Kalimantan. Ongoing coordination with the Samarinda City Health Office, through direct visits and phone communications, has facilitated this progress. Although the door-to-door health services program ended in 2024, Inti Muda East Kalimantan continues to actively support and enhance the PrEP program.

With unwavering passion and dedication, Inti Muda East Kalimantan remains committed to building a brighter future for transgender women in East Kalimantan. They are living proof that change is possible, demonstrating that every small step can lead to significant improvements in others’ lives. Through all their efforts, they continue to move forward, fostering a more inclusive and compassionate world for everyone.

Indonesia Healthy Cities with PRIDE

The Indonesia Healthy Cities with PRIDE project (IHCP) aims to strengthen capacity for movements of young LGBTQI+ people across Indonesia to promote increased access to HIV services, reduction of stigma, discrimination, criminalisation and violence against young LGBTQI+ people, including young people living with HIV. This blog is part of a series showcasing the successes and change stories of IHCP, and on how our 100% community-led decision making approach has worked and how important it is for young LGBTQI+ people to be in charge of charting their own future.

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