In one corner of the triage centre in Hyderabad’s ESIC Hospital, Dr Koyyala Ruth John Paul sits looking through a patient’s records. Outside, a queue of patients snakes towards her consultation room.

The 31-year-old Dr Ruth recently cleared her MD in Emergency Medicine — one of the first Dalit trans women to do so in India. That’s a distinction she holds with both great honour and great trepidation.

Because for Ruth, this was only half the battle won. “I’m still waiting to get my gender fixed on records. The next step would be to work in a government hospital, not just for members of my community, but also for all those people who need medical care and do not have enough money to go to private hospitals.”

Dr Koyyala Ruth John Paul hails from Khammam in Telangana. She is the youngest of three siblings. (Credit: Special Arrangement)

According to the ESIC Hospital records, Dr Ruth hails from Khammam in Telangana. She is the youngest of three siblings.…