China to establish guidelines for sex reassignment surgery

Liu Yifei, 25, reads a book titled Women's Charm and Wealth before undergoing a sex change operation in Shanghai's Changhai Hospital in this 2006 file photo. (Xiang Fei/China Daily)

China is set to issue its first clinical guideline on sex-change surgery, according to a notice put on the website of the Ministry of Health Tuesday.

The ministry is now soliciting public and professional opinions on the draft guideline. The coming guideline aims to regulate and standardize sex reassignment surgery, part of a treatment for gender identity disorder in transsexuals.

Experts estimate nearly 2,000 Chinese have undergone sex-change surgery while 100,000 to 400,000 are still considering it. However, no official number is available.

In the draft, the MOH sets minimum criteria for both surgical candidates and medical institutions. [Story continued here]

Photo: China Daily