A decade since it began, cancer advocacy group Hope From Within renewed its push for better and more accessible cancer treatment in the Philippines as it marked World Patient Safety Day this September.
The initiative, spearheaded by pharmaceutical company MSD in the Philippines, used its 10th anniversary to highlight persistent gaps in prevention, screening, and treatment access for cancer patients nationwide.
Launched in 2015, Hope From Within (HFW) has grown into one of the country’s largest cancer awareness movements, reaching an estimated 20 million Filipinos through education campaigns, community partnerships, and lobbying for government support. It has consistently pressed for the full rollout of the National Integrated Cancer Control Act (NICCA), passed in 2019, and for sustained funding to support patients.
“Every Filipino cancer patient deserves the best possible chance, not just to survive, but to live well,” said Andreas Riedel, president and managing director of MSD in the Philippines. “Ten years on, our mission is stronger than ever: to close the cancer care gap, make treatment accessible, and give every patient the dignity of hope.”
This year’s Patient Safety Day carried a sharper message — that safety in cancer care is not just about avoiding medical errors but also about ensuring timely diagnosis, affordable medicines, and equal access to advanced treatments.
Through programs such as Cancer Game Plan PH and Tita Hope Talks, HFW has championed reforms in cancer financing, pushed for stronger medical infrastructure, and supported patient assistance funds.
In 2024, it expanded into precision medicine with its “Hit the Mark” campaign, which promotes biomarker testing for lung cancer patients. The effort now counts Hi-Precision Diagnostics and Detoxicare Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory among its partners, allowing eligible patients to undergo tests for EGFR and PD-L1 — crucial in guiding oncologists toward the most effective treatments.
“We cannot talk about patient safety without addressing accessibility,” Riedel said. “Safety is compromised when treatment is delayed or denied.”
HFW is also preparing to launch Let’s Talk Lung, an AI-powered chatbot offering patients and caregivers quick, reliable answers about symptoms, diagnostic tests, and treatment options. The tool, which will be available on HFW’s website, builds on the platform’s push to give patients accurate and easy-to-understand information whenever they need it.
From helping secure bigger cancer assistance funds to rallying public and government support behind NICCA, HFW says it remains focused on one goal: making comprehensive, equitable and safe cancer care available to every Filipino.
“Ten years is just the beginning,” Riedel said. “We will keep working until no one has to fight cancer alone.”
