Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

Every family in this country has been touched in one way or another by cancer. It is a diagnosis that can send a person and their family into a state of shock, grief and despair. It is often the start of a very long and difficult journey for everybody involved. However, there is a second shock which people never expect and which comes as a complete bombshell to them and that is the shock of the cost of their cancer care.

The people I speak to about this assume their care will be covered. They never expect to be hit with these Bills. The fact that they are does our country and State a disservice. In Ireland those who do not have medical cards or private health insurance have these costs to cover. When they are not capable of covering them the debt collectors can come in. I do not know whether the Minister of State listened to the coverage this week on Newstalk. There was quite a bit of it. People rang in with stories of debt collectors knocking on their doors, putting horrible stress on them and their families at a time they are also trying to deal with their diagnosis.

It is not just limited to adults getting a diagnosis of cancer. Each year many children in our country are diagnosed with cancer. When a child faces cancer there is a huge cost for the family. The Irish Cancer Society estimates it can cost up to €15,500 in hidden costs for a child with cancer. This covers issues such as parking permits in hospitals, utility bills and services such as play therapy and counselling. I have spoken to a few charities in my local area, including the Gavin Glynn Foundation which helps the families of children who travel overseas. It has stated that when a child has cancer the average monthly cost is approximately €1,300. This is a lot to add on in hidden costs.

There is also the loss of income. In many cases carers have to give up their work in order to look after the children. The costs associated with this range from education supports to one-off costs such as wigs and hair pieces. Parents face additional day-to-day expenses such as food, clothing and mobile data. When parents bring their children overseas the HSE covers the cost of the care of the child but the costs of accommodation and all of the add-ons are not covered by the HSE. This can cost approximately €15,000 per child, which is a huge amount of money. This forces families to fundraise and set up GoFundMe accounts and put their energy into getting this money when it should be solely focused on the sick children and ensuring those children are getting the care and love they want to give them.

I wish the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, were here. He is very familiar with the many great charities we have in Wicklow that deal with cancer services. This is replicated throughout the country. When I spoke to them this week I was surprised at the stories I heard. In one instance someone undergoing chemotherapy was missing his appointments because he could not afford the inpatient costs. This should never happen. Finances should not be a barrier to someone getting life-saving medical services. I hope the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, reviews this debate, takes it on board and speaks to the particular services who will tell him the real-life situations being faced by families through out Wicklow and the country.

The reality is this is not going to get better. We are seeing a huge increase in the number of cancer diagnoses since Covid. Many local supports are still closed or dealing with very high-risk patients. The new wave of cancer diagnosis has been described as another pandemic. Late diagnosis cancer patients will be dealing with even more expensive cancer costs. The State has a responsibility to pre-empt this pandemic wave of cancer diagnosis coming down the track. People are seeing huge increases in the cost of living. The State has a responsibility to pre-empt this and step in now to ensure those cancer patients and families who receive this devastating news are supported fully by the State and that hidden costs do not present barriers to them accessing care.

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