While Hepatitis B remains a silent but deadly crisis in the Philippines, a breakthrough initiative led by University of the Philippines Manila is proving that the tide can be turned by bringing specialist-level care directly into local neighborhoods.
The initiative, known as the StITCH Project, arrives at a moment of global urgency. According to the World Health Organization’s Global Hepatitis Report 2026, the Philippines is now among the 10 nations responsible for nearly 70 percent of all hepatitis B-related deaths worldwide. The virus often functions as a “silent killer,” damaging the liver over decades with few outward symptoms until the patient reaches a state of critical illness.
For years, a diagnosis in the Philippines meant navigating a challenge of specialist referrals and high out-of-pocket costs at facilities often ill-equipped for long-term management. However, research conducted by the University of the Philippines Manila NIH Liver Study Group (NIH LSG) suggests that the solution to this health crisis may lie in the simplicity of primary care.
The StITCH Project— Strengthening the Integrated Treatment and Care for Hepatitis—recently concluded a massive screening of 12,000 people across the rural landscapes of Tarlac Province and the dense urban districts of Quezon City. The results were striking: 84% of those who tested positive successfully returned for follow-up care, and 97% of those eligible for treatment began their medication immediately. Perhaps most telling was the patient response, with 98% reporting they would recommend their local health center to others, a metric that health officials view as a vital sign of earned community trust.
The core philosophy of the project is that testing and treatment should not require an arduous journey to a metropolitan hospital. By providing local health centers with the necessary clinical protocols and tools, the project has demonstrated that primary care workers can effectively manage a disease once reserved for specialists.
Dr. Janus Ong, the convenor of the study group, noted that “the long-term goal is to embed these services permanently within the public health system through deep-rooted partnerships between academia and local government.”
To develop the model, the University of the Philippines collaborated with an international coalition that included Harvard Medical School and its Vietnam affiliate, HAIVN, along with the Philippine Department of Health (DOH) and the patient advocacy group Yellow Warriors Society. The project was pilot-tested in two vastly different settings to ensure the framework could be adapted nationwide, regardless of whether a community is a remote village or a bustling city.
The success of the implementation has already moved into the halls of government. The research team recently briefed DOH Secretary Teodoro Herbosa on a plan to integrate hepatitis modules into the national DOH Academy, potentially scaling the program to every corner of the archipelago. In Quezon City, Mayor Joy Belmonte is exploring an expansion across all city districts, aiming to share the city’s success as a blueprint for other local leaders. In UP Manila, Chancellor Michael Tee will include the program in the OpenLearning platform for researchers and implementation specialists across the country, making the StITCH model of care template more widely accessible.
The impact of the Philippine model has also resonated globally. Last month, the team presented its findings at the World Hepatitis Summit in Bangkok, contributing nine separate studies on patient experience and care data. Their work comes at a time when the WHO has reported a sobering 17 percent increase in hepatitis-related deaths globally since 2015. While the world appears to be drifting further from its 2030 elimination targets, the StITCH Project stands as one of the most documented successes in Southeast Asia, providing a rare roadmap for how to reach patients before their disease becomes a death sentence.
About the StITCH Project
The StITCH Project is a collaboration between UP Manila NIH, Harvard Medical School, HAIVN, local government partners, and Gilead Sciences. The project supports the integration of hepatitis B and C services into primary care through implementation research, technical assistance, and health systems strengthening in the Philippines and Vietnam.
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