Healthcare Access for Transgender Women in Malaysia: A Narrative Review of Barriers and Enabling Factors

Malaysia is an upper-middle-income country and one of the few in Asia that has achieved Universal Health Coverage (UHC). Despite this, healthcare in Malaysia is less accessible to marginalized groups, such as transgender women, because a legal framework denies them gender-appropriate identification. Healthcare settings often fall short in addressing transgender-specific health needs. Transgender women face compounded stigma and discrimination, along with unique social and interpersonal challenges that greatly increase their risk of poor overall health. This narrative review explores the barriers to accessing and using primary, sexual, oral, and mental healthcare for transgender women in Malaysia. The discussion covers enabling factors like training healthcare workers, prioritizing transgender health needs, working with community-led organizations, implementing health policy reforms, and utilizing technology-based health interventions.