World · South & Central Asia · 1 day ago
Hyderabad doctor becomes India’s first transgender postgraduate medical graduate
Dr. Koyyala Ruth John Paul has completed a postgraduate degree in Emergency Medicine at ESIC Medical College and Hospital in Hyderabad.
She is the first transgender person in India to complete a postgraduate medical course.
She grew up in Khammam district and studied medicine after passing the national entrance exam.
After she came out as a transgender woman, her family rejected her, and she faced financial hardship while continuing her studies.
She also struggled to enter postgraduate training because there were no clear admission procedures for transgender candidates.
With help from a transgender rights activist, she took her case to the Telangana High Court, whose interim order allowed her to proceed with admission in 2023.
She says she hopes to use her medical training to help people in need, particularly transgender people.
Dr. Koyyala Ruth John Paul has become the first transgender person in India to complete a postgraduate medical course.
She cleared all subjects in the recently announced MD/MS examination results.
She completed a postgraduate degree in Emergency Medicine at ESIC Medical College and Hospital in Sanathnagar, Hyderabad.
Her path to postgraduate study included a court battle after she encountered no clear admission procedures for transgender candidates.
She said she hopes to use her medical training to help people in need, particularly transgender individuals.
- Who
- Dr. Koyyala Ruth John Paul, a transgender doctor from Hyderabad.
- What
- She completed a postgraduate medical course in Emergency Medicine, becoming the first transgender person in India to do so.
- When
- She cleared all subjects in the recently announced MD/MS examination results; the article reports the milestone on October 10, 2026.
- Where
- ESIC Medical College and Hospital in Sanathnagar, Hyderabad.
- Why
- She pursued postgraduate medical education to achieve her goal of becoming a doctor. She said she hopes to use her training to help people in need, particularly transgender individuals.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
I am feeling very happy. It is a matter of pride for me and my community. It is a great achievement in my life.
There were times when I did not even have food. I struggled to survive and looked for jobs.
Initially, some people were scared and did not know how to respond. But when I interacted with patients and treated them with care, they began to appreciate me. People who were initially apprehensive have now become comfortable with me.
After coming out as a transgender woman during her undergraduate years, she was separated from her family.
She found part-time work at Mitr Clinic, now Sabrang Clinic, while preparing for postgraduate medical entrance examinations.
She secured a seat in Emergency Medicine at ESIC Medical College and Hospital after an interim Telangana High Court order enabled her admission.
She studied Emergency Medicine at ESIC Medical College and Hospital in Sanathnagar, Hyderabad.
She cleared all subjects in the MD/MS examination results and completed her postgraduate degree.
- Achievement
- First transgender person in India to complete a postgraduate medical course
- Degree
- Emergency Medicine
- College
- ESIC Medical College and Hospital, Sanathnagar, Hyderabad
- Study period
- 2023–26 academic session
- Earlier workplace
- Mitr Clinic, now Sabrang Clinic
- Court
- Telangana High Court
Sources
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