Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

One in two people will develop cancer during their lifetime. Getting a cancer diagnosis is overwhelming and terrifying. Many or most, if not all, of us have lost loved ones to cancer but we also know many people who have survived. Screenings, improved treatment and excellent care are all increasing survival rates. However, this comes at a deep physical, emotional and, disgracefully, financial cost. This financial cost is callous and uncaring. Not only are cancer patients charged for their care but hospitals use debt collectors to pursue individuals and families dealing with the turmoil and toll of cancer. Patients without a medical card or private health insurance are charged for inpatient treatment, including life-saving chemotherapy and radiotherapy, at a cost of €80 per visit. There are numerous other costs, such as medication, counselling, childcare, wigs, heating and outrageous parking fees in hospitals. The Irish Cancer Society estimates the average cost to a person diagnosed with cancer is €756 a month but can be over €1,000 in some cases. At the same time, people are faced with a loss in income of more than €1,500 a month on average. The Minister and the HSE know all of this. The inadequacy of the response to the lived reality of cancer patients and survivors is truly staggering.

This awful and terrifying disease is made even worse by Government health policy. This has to stop and it can stop today. In the words of a constituent who contacted me on Monday, "The cost of cancer is a disgrace when people are at their most vulnerable." The Government should support our motion to provide relief and support for the thousands of people who are currently undergoing treatment and the thousands more who will do so in future. It should abolish the €80 inpatient charge, direct the HSE to end the practice of using debt collectors and honour the programme for Government commitment to cap daily charges for car parking at public hospitals and introduce flexible passes for patients and their families. The constituent who described to me the impact of the cost of cancer care outlined how his medical bills skyrocketed as he had to pay for medicines, pain relief, GP bills and much more. He eventually got a medical card after months of wrangling and, as he described it, fighting with the HSE. The State does not need to make cancer even more difficult for people and their families.

Cancer support services are also desperately underfunded. I recently visited Cork ARC house in Bantry which provides a range of support and care for people diagnosed with cancer and their families, from vital information and advice to counselling, wigs, art therapy for children and practical supports. In 2021, it had more than 1,500 active users, up from 1,200 in 2020, and it provided more than 10,000 services. Truly disgracefully, Cork ARC Cancer Support House receives only €45,000 annually in HSE funding towards the centres in Cork city and west Cork. That represents just 5% of its overall income, the remainder of which is fundraised. This is an incredible service that makes an immeasurable difference in the lives of cancer patients and their families during and after treatment, yet it receives only 5% of its income from the HSE. It is rightly seeking an increase in funding to ensure its services can expand and continue to meet the ever-increasing demand.

Cancer can have long-term cost and life-altering impacts for which patients too often have to pay. This week, I was contacted by a young person who had to have a hand amputated due to cancer. She quickly realised that public-funded healthcare and support falls so far short of what is required. She does not qualify for a primary medical certificate to allow her to purchase and adapt a car as she had one hand amputated, rather than the criteria of two hands. She is forced into getting and adapting a car herself to allow her return to work and care for her child. In addition, the public cover of prosthetics in Ireland is the worst in Europe. She will need three prostheses in the first year but the public system only covers one. The cost is shocking for this woman who wants to recover, get back to work and live a full life.

The cost of cancer care, however, is a Government choice. There is not a person in Ireland who is not affected by cancer. There is not a person in Ireland who opposes reducing the cost of care, so why would the Government do so? I sincerely hope the Government will go further than not proposing a countermotion today.

See this speech in context