THE Irish Cancer Society is urging the Government to reduce the huge financial strain on cancer patients and their families in Dublin.
The Society made the call when it launched its Budget 2020 submission.
Its chief executive, Averil Power, said many families suffer a big drop in income when someone gets cancer.
“At the same time, they have to pay for everything from chemotherapy appointments to anti-nausea medication and hospital parking charges,” said Ms Power.
“With extra costs of up to €1,200 a month, they find themselves under siege financially while also trying to manage the physical and psychological burden of having cancer.”
In Budget 2020 the Society is calling for:
•The removal of inpatient charges, which currently cost €80 per visit up to a maximum of €800 a year;
•A reduction in the Drugs Payment Scheme threshold from €124 a month to €100 for families and €72 for single people;
•The removal of the prescription charge for medical card holders (currently €2 per item up to a maximum of €20); and
•Reduced hospital parking charges for frequent visitors
Ms Power said there is clear public support for such measures.
“In a survey recently carried out by Core Research, almost three in four people supported the removal of inpatient charges while six in 10 said the drug payment scheme threshold should be reduced,” she said.
“It also found those on medical cards often don’t take all their medication because they can’t afford prescription charges.
“More than one in two chose to pay for their child’s medication ahead of their own. Unable to afford essential medicines, such as anti-nausea tablets, patients suffer far worse side effects from their cancer treatment than they should. This is incredibly unfair and must be addressed.”
In Budget 2020, the Irish Cancer Society is also calling for sufficient funding to implement the Government’s commitments under the National Cancer Strategy.
It said this would ensure better treatment and outcomes for cancer patients and reduce the number of people getting cancer in the future.