Seven rooms on the third floor encompassing the Sahyog Clinic at Vakola seem to hold a universe, as people walk in with rainbow pins and open smiles. The clinic, started by the Humsafar Trust, is a haven for LGBTQiA+ community members, for whom it is still next to impossible to find queer-friendly doctors in the city. 

Upon a closer look, you will see the smiles have now begun to falter, especially among the staff. Amid a funding crunch, the clinic now finds itself on the brink of shutting down most of its services, especially the critical mental health wing.

Malini Mohite works as the senior counsellor in HIV+ cases, as well as Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI), and has been associated with the clinic for the last 20 years. “Our HIV+ testing is linked with the BMC, so the pre-testing and post-detection [if tested positive] counselling — where we tell them how often to take the medication — will continue. But other facilities, such as our dermatologist and nutritionist’s services, as well as the monthly nutrition kits for people living with HIV [PLHIV] have already been hit,” says Mohite.