The Chief Ombudsman has made a landmark recommendation that a person be
given a sex change and the Health Funding Authority (HFA) foot the bill.
Sir Brian Elwood made his unusual recommendation to the HFA and Health Minister
Annette King after ruling that the authority acted unreasonably in the case of
Joanne Proctor, aged 52, who is now living as a woman in the King Country.
She was scheduled to have gender reassignment surgery in Waikato Hospital in
1997, when Midland Health, the now-defunct regional health authority, decided
against funding sex changes.
In 1998, Ms Proctor, a former Christchurch crane driver, complained to Sir
Brian, whose office launched an investigation into whether health authorities
treated her fairly.
The HFA later conceded that she had been treated "with a degree of
administrative unfairness."
This year, the HFA offered to assist Ms Proctor to make an application for
surgery and to meet the cost of two psychiatric assessments. Progress has been
slow.
Sir Brian has recommended that the HFA facilitate the psychiatric assessments
urgently and has ordered it to pay for the gender reassignment surgery and all
associated costs.
- NZPA