Over 70% of LGBTQ+ individuals across Asia face healthcare barriers, but a new digital platform promises to change that by pooling the region’s affirming doctors into one accessible service.
“Patients spend more energy preparing for potential confrontation than thinking about their actual health problems.”
“They’re terrified of being ‘found out’ and judged,” says Dr. Ariyatash “Kang” Tungsanga, Chief Medical Officer at PrideHealth, describing the most common fear his LGBTQ+ patients share.
Dr. Kang has seen the same fear play out too many times in his clinic. Patients arrived only when symptoms became unbearable, having put off treatment because they were afraid of what the doctor might say or do. For them, healthcare itself was a source of stress.
It was a frustration he often discussed with Bruce Li, who had worked across the pharmaceutical industry, and with Shawn Loo, a brand strategist.
Each of them had seen how stigma shaped the way people used, or avoided, the health system. Together they began to imagine a different possibility, one where LGBTQ+ people did not have to gamble on whether a doctor would accept them.
That idea developed into PrideHealth, a digital platform created to connect LGBTQ+ patients across Southeast Asia with doctors who provide affirming care.
For LGBTQ+ People, the Clinic Feels Like the Riskiest Place
“Even in Thailand, often viewed as LGBT-friendly, access to affirming healthcare remains inconsistent, particularly for trans individuals, those ageing with HIV, and mental health patients,” shares Li, who now leads PrideHealth as its CEO.
The experience amounts to a healthcare lottery across the region. Patients never know what they’ll encounter when seeking care, whether they’ll find understanding or judgment, competent treatment or dismissal.
Some patients win the lottery and find affirming doctors. Others spend hours travelling, only to face unwilling or unable practitioners. Many avoid the gamble entirely. “We’ve seen countless stories of people travelling hours to find affirming care, or worse, avoiding healthcare altogether,” Li explained.
“Southeast Asia is home to over 430 million LGBTQ+ people, yet most face a healthcare lottery every time they need medical attention.”
Medical Trauma Keeps Patients Away From Life-Saving Care
Across Southeast Asia, medical trauma runs so deep that patients avoid care even when their lives depend on it. Patients delay HIV tests, avoid mental health care, and skip routine check-ups. In the Philippines, over 75% of men who have sex with men have never been tested for HIV, despite making up the majority of new cases.
Nearly one in three LGBTQ+ people in Southeast Asia report needing mental health support but not receiving it. Most don’t speak up. They simply disappear from the system.
There is little regional data capturing how fear drives these decisions. But Dr. Kang sees it clearly in his practice. Some arrive months after symptoms first appeared, holding back not from neglect, but from the memory of what happened the last time they asked for help.
“Be present, be inclusive and non-judgemental,” he says. “Trust builds when patients feel safe enough to tell the truth about their health.”
Loyalty Tells the Real Story of Safe Care
In its first few months, PrideHealth attracted over 800 patients from 17 nationalities across 11 Southeast Asian countries. But it wasn’t just the scale that stood out. It was who stayed.
More than half of those 800 patients returned for repeat consultations. This loyalty proves rare in digital healthcare, especially among people who avoid clinics altogether.
“It was no surprise to see strong demand through digital,” Li highlights. “What stood out was the behavioural dynamics and the kinds of issues patients raised around sexual and mental health, once they felt safe.”
Every new patient answers five to ten questions at intake. The process focuses less on collecting data and more on understanding intent. “From those answers, we learn what they’re dealing with, what they’re worried about, and how they think about their health,” Li explained.
Sexual health and mental wellness emerged as the most common concerns. These topics often remain unspoken in traditional settings. With digital anonymity and affirming doctors, patients find the courage to address issues they’ve long avoided.
What Makes a Doctor Truly LGBTQ+ Friendly?
“At PrideHealth, we credential every clinician, then train them on LGBTQ+ affirming standards,” Li explains. “That includes how doctors use language, take histories, ask for consent, and approach gender-affirming care.”
The training goes deep. Doctors complete baseline modules in minority stress literacy, trauma-informed interviewing, sexual health, and harm reduction. Their sessions are reviewed, notes are checked and cases are audited, sometimes by de-identified “mystery patients.” Bias is not tolerated.
Dr. Kang oversees this process. He ensures care is not only inclusive, but medically sound.
“Our job is not just to connect patients with doctors, but to make sure those doctors truly understand the realities our patients face.”
The platform relies on referrals from within the medical community. Each doctor must meet PrideHealth’s internal standards before joining. PrideHealth’s doctors all identify as LGBTQ+, which helps, but that’s only a starting point.
“Identity helps in understanding the patient’s context and unmet needs,” said Dr. Kang. “But it’s the training, structure, and standards that allow that understanding to translate into care.”
That sensitivity extends into every layer of the platform. Intake forms focus on what patients want to achieve, not what boxes they tick. “We don’t focus on pronouns,” Dr. Kang explained. “We focus on the care people are seeking.”
Privacy is handled with the same intentionality. PrideHealth uses encrypted WhatsApp channels to reach users discreetly and does not require real names unless clinically necessary. “We respect privacy and anonymity,” says Li. “People come to us because they want care without fear.”
Thailand’s Marriage Equality Creates Medical Hub Opportunity
Thailand’s 2025 marriage equality law did more than change policy. It changed perception. Within Southeast Asia, the country now stands out as a visible leader in LGBTQ+ rights and inclusive care.
“Thailand’s marriage equality has solidified its position as an LGBTQ+ medical hub,” Li elaborates. “It gives us credibility with overseas patients. They know this is a place where their identity is recognised, not something they have to defend.”
For a platform like PrideHealth, that visibility is significant. The service is one of the few to hold a telehealth licence approved by Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health.
“Our licence follows HIPAA-compliant and PDPA privacy protocols, as required by the ministry,” Li adds. “Without strict audits and procedures, we would never have received it.”
That regulatory clarity allows PrideHealth to reach across borders. In 2025 and beyond, it will expand throughout Asia, focusing on care that remains out of reach for many — mental health support, gender-affirming services, and preventative care.
The transition is already taking place across the region. Taiwan legalised same-sex marriage in 2019. Nepal followed with recognition of same-sex unions in 2023. Each step opens space for services that reflect the lives of those they aim to serve.
Younger Clinicians Driving Change Across the Region
Despite the current barriers, Dr. Kang and Li see reasons for optimism across Southeast Asia’s healthcare landscape. That change, they believe, is coming from within the system itself.
“Younger clinicians and healthcare providers are more innovative, tech-savvy and LGBTQ+ culturally sensitive,” Li observes. “I believe with time, they will influence and change the policy landscape of healthcare to be more inclusive, not just to LGBTQ+ but to all marginalised and underserved communities through tech, AI, and innovation.”
This generational change matters because it addresses the root problem. While platforms like PrideHealth can pool existing affirming doctors, real transformation requires changing how all doctors approach LGBTQ+ patients.
The platform’s early success suggests appetite for change exists. With over 30% month-on-month revenue growth since launching in March 2025, PrideHealth demonstrates that patients will engage with healthcare when they feel safe doing so.
For Dr. Kang, the mission remains personal. “I assume nothing. A gay man in Bangkok has different concerns than a lesbian couple in rural Thailand.”
“I ask open questions like ‘What matters most for your health right now?’ or ‘How can I support you?’”
His belief centres on a simple truth: you cannot treat what people are too afraid to say out loud.
He pauses before adding, “I listen more than I talk. Every patient teaches me something.”
