After the Donald Trump administration froze funds for foreign aid projects under the US Agency for International Development (USAID), India’s first three clinics for the transgender community in Hyderabad were shut last month, Reuters reported.
The stop-work order from the USAID has disrupted services for nearly 5,000 people.
US President Donald Trump ordered a 90-day pause on all foreign aid pending a review to ensure all projects funded with US taxpayer money are aligned with his “America First” policy.
According to the Reuters report, the closed Mitr clinics are run mostly by the doctors, counsellors and other workers from the transgender community.
While reacting to the development, Elon Musk, who co-chairs the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), said,”That’s what American tax dollars were funding.
The other clinics are located in Maharashtra’s Kalyan and Pune.
The Mitr Clinics provided services including guidance and medication on hormone therapy, counselling on mental health as well as on HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases, and legal aid, in addition to general medical care, the Reuters report quoted the clinic’s website.
