Ease Healthcare is challenging the difficulties Asian women face in receiving unprejudiced reproductive services.
In Asia, conversations on women’s sexual health are considered a difficult topic. Whether due to the conservative culture, religious beliefs, or the fear of being judged, the importance of reproductive health is usually brushed aside by the population, sometimes entirely.
To challenge this, the Singapore-based start-up Ease Healthcare was established to make reproductive healthcare and contraception more accessible—and even discreet. Since last April, Ease Healthcare’s website and app services have just been available in the Philippines.
Founded by Guadalupe Lazaro and Rio Hoe, Lazaro was driven by her difficulties in receiving comprehensive, unprejudiced care.
“[Rio] and I came up with the idea in September of 2019. It was inspired by our own experiences of facing stigma or barriers when trying to access sexual and reproductive health services in Singapore. From uncomfortable encounters at the clinic (including feeling judged and receiving unwanted advice) to hours spent queuing up just to get a birth control refill,” Lazaro tells Lifestyle Asia.
Starting the conversation
Because of this, the co-founder, who started the venture at 22 years old, knew the process needed reform. While studying at Yale-National University of Singapore (NUS), Lazaro set up workshops and started conversations on female sexuality and women’s health.
“I learned from these dialogues that people often do not get the help they need due to the stigma, time, and cost involved in accessing these types of services,” she shares.
“People, young people especially, are postponing STI testing due to the stigma associated with going to a sexual health clinic and the high cost of tests. They are avoiding using contraception because they are uncomfortable speaking about this face-to-face with a doctor or are uninformed about the options available.”
Ease Healthcare now offers holistic online reproductive health services, including birth control pills and patches and emergency contraception delivered to your doorstep. Doctor teleconsultations are also available for sexual, menstrual, birth control, and STD concerns.
Transforming access
For unobtrusive treatments and testing, they can deliver UTI and yeast infection medication and STI home testing kits. Consumers can expect the medicines to be delivered within one to two business days in Metro Manila and Antipolo and three to ten days for the rest of the country.
Upon researching the Philippines, Lazaro found that the same concerns she observed in Singapore are rampant locally: inconvenience in receiving in-clinic care, high costs, stigma, and lack of education.
“Today, we have over 12,000 women in the Philippines alone using our app and teleconsultation services, and we look forward to growing this community with this official launch,” says Ho. “We hope to establish ourselves as a trusted and reliable source for women’s health services and education in the country.”
By transforming access to sensitive healthcare, Lazaro hopes more women prioritize sexual health as much as they do for the rest of their physical wellbeing.
“Our vision is to change the landscape of women’s healthcare in the Philippines,” the Forbes 30 Under 30 awardee says. “We want to create a safe space where women can access convenient, affordable, personalized, and credible information and services without feeling judged.”
Images courtesy of Ease Heathcare.
