JEDDAH – The sex correction surgical center at King Abdulaziz University Hospital in Jeddah has conducted 1,000 operations on patients from all over the Kingdom as well as other GCC states since its inception 31 years ago, said Prof. Dr. Yasser Jamal, president of the center.
“We have received several patients from the same family,” Jamal told Al-Watan Arabic daily. “We call them ‘sex correction families’ and this is a unique case. For them such birth defects are hereditary and they have to undergo surgeries for gender confirmation,” he added.
Some individuals discover their gender problems late at the age of 19 or 20. “This group represents 10 percent of the total number of patients who have visited the center,” Prof. Jamal said. After undergoing operation, these individuals face psychological problems as the society would be hesitant to accept them while the patients would find it difficult to readjust with the new gender.
Prof. Jamal said some of his patients were married women who could not give birth to children due to sex defects. “Some individuals will have female features in appearance and at the same time there will be birth defects in their sexual organs. We have got 15 such cases. These individuals have male characteristics but they will be lacking male hormones,” he explained.
Prof. Jamal said the center would not conduct sex correction surgery on such patients. "At the same time we’ll reform their reproductive organs to remove deformity,” he said, adding that patients who underwent sex reassignment surgery would be given certificates in order to present them to relevant authorities to change identity including civil status cards and passports.
“We have noticed that some individuals have faced difficulty to get new IDs due to complicated legal procedures,” Prof. Jamal said and urged authorities to expedite issuance of IDs to those who have realigned their sex, especially those who have conducted the surgery inside the Kingdom.
Prof. Jamal indicated chances of foul play in certificates obtained from foreign countries proving it was not sex change but sex correction. “The Shariah has prohibited sex change,” he pointed out. The center received 20 cases with individuals demanding reissue of their certificates stating it was sex correction, not sex change. “The center has refused to do that,” he added.
Prof. Jamal said the center conducts sex correction surgery on Saudis free of charge. It costs SR100,000 in any other hospital and center. “We charge SR35,000 for sex correction,” he added.
Speaking about legal issues related to changing the ID of individuals who have undergone sex correction surgery, lawyer Bandar Al-Mufti said approval for such changes should come from Personal Affairs Court and Civil Status Department.
“These individuals should approach the Personal Affairs Court first to confirm sex correction on the basis of the certificates issued by correction centers. Later they have to submit all relevant documents to the Civil Affairs Department to prove that he/she has been undergone sex correction surgery. It will be followed by necessary procedures to issue new IDs,” he explained.
