// BBC UK NEWS — CRONACA
Crisis-hit gender service cancelled 60 surgeries this year, Welsh health minister says
Surgeries referred from the Welsh Gender Service were cancelled in August
About 60 surgeries via the Welsh Gender Service (WGS) were cancelled for this year after NHS officials paused referrals in August, Wales' health minister has revealed.
It is the first time figures have been given for the number of people affected by the decision to pause referrals over concerns that patients who identify as transgender had been "appropriately assessed".
In a Senedd debate, Welsh Green leader Anthony Slaughter said patients were facing "unbearable limbo". Reform's Cristiana Emsley said it would be unacceptable to continue when "serious concerns exist".
Health Minister Mabon ap Gwynfor said he wanted "to bring certainty" as quickly as possible.
The body that took the decision, the NHS Wales Joint Commissioning Committee, external (NWJCC), has commissioned a review that is examining the referrals to see if any of the cancelled surgeries can proceed before the end of the year.
BBC Wales revealed in August that some patients found out about the cancellations while they were in hospital.
Earlier this month, the NWJCC said in some cases patients did not meet "the basic requirements for surgery".
Having an unsuitable body mass index (BMI) - a value derived from an adult's height and weight - was a factor.
It also said the proportion of Welsh patients progressing from referral for some types of surgery was "significantly lower" than across the border, while the rate of surgery referrals was "significantly higher".