Mitr Clinic, India’s first transgender clinic in Hyderabad, shuts down following USAID freeze

Hyderabad’s Mitr Clinic, India’s first transgender healthcare centre, has shut down operations following an order from the U.S. President Donald Trump. The closure comes in the wake of Mr. Trump’s decision to impose a 90-day freeze on all U.S. foreign assistance, including over $40 billion allocated for international projects through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

The abrupt halt in funding impacted several initiatives globally, including Project ACCELERATE, under which Mitr Clinic operated. The project, supported by USAID and the United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), aimed to provide comprehensive healthcare services to the transgender community.

Mitr Clinic functioned as a one-stop centre, offering free services such as general health consultations, HIV counselling and screening, HIV/STI treatment, mental health support, gender affirmation services, and assistance accessing legal and social protection schemes.

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Speaking about the closure, Rachana, a trans health expert associated with the clinic, confirmed that operations were suspended soon after the funding cut was announced in the final days of January. “We were informed that the U.S. President had announced a halt to our clinic’s funding, and since then, the clinic has been shut,” she said.

Mitr Clinic was first established in Hyderabad’s Narayanguda in January 2021. Following its success, two more clinics were opened in Pune and Thane. However, the status of these facilities remains uncertain in light of the funding freeze.

As of January 2025, the Hyderabad clinic employed seven transgender individuals and provided services to 150–200 LGBTQIA+ members every month. The sudden shutdown has not only left staff members unemployed but also deprived a vulnerable community of essential healthcare services.

Until June 2024, the clinic had registered over 4,900 clients, focusing on the significant HIV burden among transgender individuals, with a 6% HIV positivity rate and 83% of those diagnosed receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART), informed an individual associated with the clinic.