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St Luke's Radiation Oncology Centre, part of The St James Hospital Campus in Dublin Alamy Stock Photo

Cost of cancer 225,000 of us are going to need this government to do more over next 5 years

Households affected by cancer are hit with additional costs of around €700 per month and see an average loss of income of around €1,500 per month, writes Irish Cancer Society chief Averil Power.

THIS WEEK, WE got a new Government, a new, albeit familiar Taoiseach and a raft of new ministers.

Assuming this Government runs for five years, that means it will be responsible for roughly 225,000 people who will learn that they have cancer in that time. That’s 225,000 people and their families who face the physical, emotional and financial toll that a cancer diagnosis entails.

Thankfully, a cancer diagnosis is no longer the life sentence it once was.

This is due to the significant progress that has been made in screening, early detection and treatment since the 1990s. Survivorship rates have increased from 2 in 5 to over 3 in 5 in that time. 

However, in recent years, cancer services are suffering due to reduced spending, squeezed supply and increased demand. The incoming Government has the opportunity to address these issues and make Ireland a world-leader in cancer services.

The programme for Government document was a good start. It contained a slate of provisions that, if delivered, will improve the lives of cancer patients, cancer survivors and their families.  

This includes:

  • Providing multiannual funding for the National Cancer Strategy
  • Protecting diagnostic pathways and investing in infrastructure and equipment to meet target treatment times outlined in the National Cancer Strategy 
  • Improving access to innovative new treatments for cancer 
  • Legislating for the Right To Be Forgotten, requiring insurers to disregard a cancer diagnosis where treatment ended more than seven years prior to application
  • Introducing wide ranging restrictions on vaping, including packaging, flavours, point of sale advertising and a ban on disposable vapes
  • Expanding the Bowel Screen and Breast Check programmes 
  • Reinstating the Laura Brennan Catch-Up Programme which expired in Jan 2024    
  • Extending the Acute Oncology Nursing Service, an effective Emergency Department avoidance measure for cancer patients in active treatment
  • Implementing the National Genomics Strategy   

It’s heartening to see that the Taoiseach, Tánaiste and all who negotiated the programme for Government have listened to the advocacy of the Irish Cancer Society on behalf of cancer patients.    

But this ambition needs to be matched by delivery.

We need real action from day one. The next Government has the potential to turn the tide on cancer. With proper investment, it can ensure that more Irish people survive cancer and enjoy a good quality of life afterwards. 

We look forward to engaging with the next Minister for Health and their team to support the implementation of these commitments. We’re particularly eager to understand exactly how ringfenced funding to cancer services will be allocated and how the Government will deliver on the levels of increased investment in the National Cancer Strategy promised during the election.

Cost of cancer

One area where greater focus is required is the cost of cancer.

Households affected by cancer are hit with additional costs of around €700 per month and see an average loss of income of around €1,500 per month.

At the same time, day-to-day costs remain, like energy bills, food, mortgages or rent, and additional expenses emerge for things like transport, medicines, parking, childcare, etc.

Every day, we hear from families who are struggling to make ends meet while going through cancer.

People are being crushed by rising costs, all the while they’re trying to cope emotionally and keep households running.

Having cancer is hard enough, without additional worries about how you’re going to pay the bills, or put food on the table.

As a result, we hope the incoming Government will consider an automatic entitlement to medical cards for cancer patients until their treatment ends; the abolishment of hospital car parking charges for patients attending treatment; and financial support for patients with a life-limiting cancer diagnosis, including an automatic entitlement to the Household Benefits Package, Fuel Allowance, Additional Needs Payment, and electricity credits for cancer patients in palliative care for the remainder of their life.

There are a lot of pressing issues for the new Government to address – and investment in cancer services and supporting cancer patients remains one of the biggest issues in health, and for Irish society at large.

225,000 of us are going to need the Government to focus on this over the next five years.

Averil Power is the CEO of the Irish Cancer Society. Anyone with questions or concerns about cancer, can contact the Irish Cancer Society Support Line on Freephone 1800 200 700. 

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