Ruth John Paul completes emergency medicine degree after admission court battle

Koyyala Ruth John Paul has passed her final examinations and completed postgraduate training in Emergency Medicine at ESIC Medical College and Hospital in Hyderabad. The Hindu describes her as India’s first transgender person to complete a postgraduate medical course.

She studied at the college in Sanathnagar during the 2023–26 academic session and discussed the examination results on October 10. Ruth John Paul said the qualification was an important personal achievement and a source of pride for her community.

Admission required a legal challenge. She said that, despite passing the entrance examination, she encountered difficulty because there were no clear procedures for transgender applicants during postgraduate medical counselling. With help from rights activist Vyjayanti Vasanta Mogli, she approached the Telangana High Court. Proceedings lasted nearly two years before an interim order allowed her to continue the admission process and secure a place in 2023.

Ruth John Paul grew up in a family with limited resources in Khammam district as the youngest of three siblings. Her father died when she was eight, leaving her mother to raise the children. She completed school and intermediate education locally, then passed NEET and entered undergraduate medical training.

She came out as a transgender woman during her undergraduate studies. According to her account, her family rejected her and she spent nearly six years apart from them. She had to search for work to support herself and sometimes struggled to obtain enough food.

In 2021, she began part-time work at Mitr Clinic, now called Sabrang Clinic. She remained there for about two years while preparing for postgraduate entrance examinations.

Clinical training brought further challenges. Ruth John Paul said some people were initially uneasy around her, but regular interaction with patients and attentive treatment gradually helped replace apprehension with acceptance.

She now wants to treat anyone who needs help, including transgender people facing emergency or critical-care needs. Her goal, she said, is to provide care without discrimination based on gender identity or sexuality.