Access to COVID-19 vaccination for transgender community in Multan, Punjab, Pakistan

Given the discrimination, harassment, and lack of adequate healthcare facilities, the transgender community members find it hard to access the COVID-19 vaccination. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the disparities in access to healthcare for the transgender community. In November 2020, on the topic of ‘COVID-19 and Disaster Vulnerability in Pakistan: A Human Rights Based Analysis’, a co-published report from the UNDP and Ministry of Human Rights Pakistan, reflected concerns on the challenges of access to healthcare for the transgender community in Pakistan. The report demanded the government to amplify its response to further protect the transgender community. In this paper, I aim at developing a theoretical framework for providing indiscriminate access to the COVID-19 vaccination for the transgender community as a part of right to health by reporting the first-hand knowledge about the challenges of access to vaccination facilities using qualitative research methods.