WASHINGTON – May 23, 2023—Population Services International (PSI), a leading global health organization, announced today a partnership with Organon to expand the reach and capacity of VIYA, a comprehensive, digitally enabled health platform that brings together sexual and reproductive health (SRH) information, products and services to health consumers across low-and-middle-income countries.
With Organon’s support, PSI will be able to strengthen its VIYA offering with data and insights-driven information and support, while also developing, testing and integrating a telehealth component that enables women to connect and discuss their needs with trusted health providers. The partnership contributes to the launch of VIYA’s Telehealth offering in Guatemala before expanding to other markets in the region.
“Sexual and reproductive health (SRHR) is critical to achieving physical, emotional, and social well-being for both women and men and bringing us closer to sustainable development goals (SDGs). Yet, the market is mired by a lack of information, choice, and availability of products and services, disproportionately affecting women and their ability to choose and own their health journeys,” says Andrea Novella, Global Digital Health Advisor and VIYA Digital Lead, PSI.” “VIYA, in partnership with Organon, sets out to help close this gap by increasing equity through technology enabled, consumer centric solutions that respond to women’s needs holistically.”
From menstruation to menopause and beyond, the VIYA platform, powered by PSI’s Social Business Unit and accessible via dedicated websites, chatbots and social media, goes beyond standard siloed approaches that focus on one health area at one point in women’s lives. The model provides information, products and services that span the entire lifecycle, while blending efficiencies around global technology and content development with the flexibility for in-market adaptation and local-led ownership and execution.
Focusing on Latin America in 2023, the partnership will help generate important evidence and learnings to guide VIYA’s future global expansion of the platform. With women and girls often facing access and stigma barriers to care, there is a significant demand for judgment-free, discreet and easily accessible care. Building on PSI’s 53+ years of programming experience around the world and a successful social business in Latin America, VIYA seeks to help dismantle these barriers and advance health equity.
“This platform and other technology-enabled innovations show promise to advance gender equity by broadening access to healthcare services and improving the health of women,” says Mazen Altaruti, Regional President for Latin America, Middle East, Russia & Africa, at Organon. “Organon is committed to helping advance innovative solutions that drive women’s health and social impact at scale, and contribute to the financial sustainability of healthcare systems.”
The partnership aligns with both organizations’ commitments to FP2030 agenda and contributes to advancing both SDG 3 and SDG 5 through universal access to SRH services and care.
VIYA launched in South Africa in December of 2021, building from donor funding for pilot projects in Kenya and South Africa. By 2023, the platform aims to be available around the globe, in markets including Africa, Southeast Asia, India and Latin America.
About VIYA, PSI’s Social Business
VIYA, PSI’s Sexual Health and Wellness Social Business, delivers sustainable health impact in 27 countries through nine national and regional businesses. In 2022, VIYA delivered 150M reproductive health products and built a community of 8M+ consumers through VIYA’s digital offering. VIYA is a locally rooted and globally connected social business. PSI’s Social Business Unit actively strives to achieve health impact and financial viability, beyond donor funding. For more information: https://www.psi.org/social-business.