// BBC UK NEWS — CRONACA
Answers needed on transgender surgery pause, says health minister
The decision last week to pause surgeries at the Welsh Gender Service has been met with mixed opinions
A meeting to discuss the decision to immediately pause referrals for gender-affirming surgeries in Wales has been called by the health minister.
The Welsh Gender Service paused surgery last week after concerns from an NHS committee about the number of referrals and whether they were all appropriate.
Wales' health minister, Mabon ap Gwynfor, is meeting with members of the NHS Wales Joint Commissioning Committee (NWJCC), which instructed Cardiff and Vale University Health Board to halt both new referrals and planned surgeries, on Thursday.
The health board is responsible for the running of the NHS gender identity clinic which provides specialist care and support for adults in Wales.
The decision was prompted by data which indicated "significantly higher rates of referral for gender affirming surgery... compared with English gender services" in 2025-26, according to the health board.
The NWJCC has requested an independent clinical review be carried out, describing the move as "precautionary and clinically-led".
First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth previously said he wanted a "quick resolution" from the review.
Cardiff and Vale University Health Board confirmed on Tuesday that some patients who had been awaiting gender-affirming surgery were already in hospital for their procedures when they were told of the suspension.
Gender-affirming surgery encompasses both masculinising and feminising procedures, which often involve reshaping the genitalia. The procedures are irreversible.