We are a voluntary association of Southern African professionals advocating for evidence-based care of children and young people with gender dysphoria.

Over the last few years there has been a dramatic increase in children and young people being diagnosed with gender dysphoria, gender incongruence or gender distress. This phenomenon has been noted internationally, as well as in Southern Africa, and is an issue that concerns many sectors of South and Southern African society.  The best approach to providing care for these vulnerable children and adolescents has been fiercely contested.

FDNHSA was formed as a result of the founding members in their various clinical practices or workplace situations becoming aware of the issue of gender dysphoria. As individuals, we were concerned about the ideologically driven, rather than evidence-based approach being advocated in South and Southern Africa, for example by organisations such as the Professional Association for Transgender Health South Africa (PATHSA), which is a group of South African professionals focussed on providing “gender affirming care” linked to The World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH).  

Various members of the group have been interacting informally since 2020 around issues related to gender distress in children and young people and what the best approach to providing care to vulnerable young people should be. We were formally constituted as a Voluntary Association on the 29 December 2023.

While we welcome all professionals to become members of FDNHSA, the founding members are all doctors. As such, we are guided by medical ethics in how we view any clinical situation. The four foundational principles for the ethical practice of medicine are beneficence, non-maleficence, autonomy, and justice. The  first two can be traced back to the time of Hippocrates: beneficence refers to doing good or acting in the best interest of the patient, and requires  healthcare professionals to consider the potential risks and benefits of any course of treatment before proceeding.

Non-maleficence, is often paraphrased as first, do no harm.  It is expressed in the Hippocratic Oath as the promise “to abstain from doing harm”. The development of evidence-based medicine also encourages healthcare professionals to practice the highest standard of medical care as an ethical duty and responsibility.

Our Objectives