The Department of Health should develop a policy to deal with transsexuals, according to the Equality Authority.
The recommendation comes in a report on access to health services for transsexual people. Other recommendations include consultation with transsexual people and the appropriate professional bodies.
Transsexuals are people who suffer from a medical condition where they feel they were born in the opposite sex to the one they appear, from their physical make-up, to be in.
The condition occurs in about one person in every 30,000, and many seek treatment through surgery to align their genitals with the sex they feel themselves to be, combined with hormone and other therapies to allow as much transition as possible to the other sex.
According to the report, in Ireland policy and practice in relation to the treatment of transsexual people is undeveloped.
Most health boards do accept applications from transsexuals under the Treatment Abroad Scheme, and also stated to the authors that they offer psychiatric help.
However, the report states that it is not clear what policy framework or standards of care inform this support.
It also states that policy is undeveloped within professional bodies. The Irish College of Psychiatrists has no formal policy on the issue, it says.
The report recommends that the relevant professional bodies should develop more detailed policies and standards of care, and that the establishment of a network of GPs qualified in the area, and able to refer people on, should be considered.
The Health Service Executive and health service providers should also review their policies and practices to ensure that there is no discrimination under the Equal Status Acts, according to the report.
It also recommends effective information exchanges, and provision for the information needs of the families and friends of transsexual people.