By Beatriz Marie D. Cruz, Reporter

FEMALE-CENTERED healthcare technology (femtech) solutions provider Kindred plans to open three hybrid clinics outside Metro Manila to expand healthcare access for women in rural areas, its founder said.

“We’re still building our new solutions, new physical clinics… Right now, we’re constructing in three provinces, and even outside Luzon,” Maria Jessica J. de Mesa-Lim, founder and chief executive officer of Kindred, told BusinessWorld on the sidelines of an event on Nov. 7.

Kindred, offering online and in-clinic female health services, has two hybrid clinics in Taguig City and Quezon City.

In its rural expansion, Kindred aims to “hyperlocalize” its hybrid clinics to meet the needs of women in underserved areas, Ms. Lim said.

“It’s easier to have a template and replicate a one-size-fits-all strategy,” she said.

“But in healthcare, you’re dealing with people’s lives and health, so as much as possible, if we can customize per geographical area or category, it will be a big step toward positive change.”

Opening a women’s clinic in the province offers lower costs and minimal competition, but lack of awareness will be a challenge for femtech, Ms. Lim said.

“The hard part is more women are not aware that they actually need it… It’s harder to do a lot of awareness and education in areas where they didn’t have a lot of access to that education, so there’s much more work that needs to be done in increasing awareness there rather than here in Metro Manila.”

Women’s access to healthcare remains underfunded and under-researched due to a lack of funding and existing social stigmas.

Many women also fear being judged or do not know the options to protect themselves from sexually transmitted diseases or unwanted pregnancies, among others, she added.

The Philippines lags behind its Southeast Asian peers in women’s healthcare access, ranking 93rd out of 143 countries in the 2022 Global Women’s Health Index.

The index measures healthcare access in preventive care, emotional health, health and safety opinions, basic needs, and individual health.