Calls to scrap fees for cancer inpatients

THE Irish Cancer Society has called for inpatient charges to be scrapped for people suffering with the disease.

As the situation stands cancer sufferers who don’t have a medical card or private insurance can be charged €80 for each inpatient visit, or up to a maximum €800 in a calendar year.

This includes ‘day cases’ for cancer treatments such as a few hours of chemotherapy.

Other monthly costs can include travelling expenses, GP visits, and counselling and therapy fees.

This is on top of the financial burden faced by cancer patients who are, on average, losing €1,400 in income per month or €16,750-a-year, according to a separate study three years ago. As a result, they are among the hardest-hit patients in the health service.

The Irish Cancer Society launched a petition yesterday to support its call and is urging the public to get behind the campaign.

Averil Power, CEO of the Irish Cancer Society said: ‘If patient charges aren’t paid within seven weeks, they can be referred to a debt collection agency by the hospital.

‘This practice causes needless stress and fear for patients and must be stopped. It is the last thing any patient needs while having treatment for cancer.

‘In some cases of “excessive hardship”, hospitals may either waive the charge or agree instalment plans with patients.

‘However, these arrangements are at the discretion of the hospital, and it is unclear what constitutes hardship.

‘This also places an unfair administrative burden on patients on top of an already unfair charge.’

A HSE spokesman said in a statement last night: ‘There are no specific charges for cancer patients as described below.

‘The charges refer to inpatient charges in general applied by hospitals.

‘However, any decision to alter such charges would ultimately be a policy matter for the Department of Health.’

It is estimated that one in three people will get cancer in their lifetime and a quarter of them will die from the disease.

About 40,750 people are diagnosed with cancer in Ireland each year.

Experts estimate there will be 43,000 a year new cases by 2020 as the population increases and people live longer.

According to a survey in 2015, at the time of their diagnosis, half of cancer patients receive a medical card following diagnosis and 23% of those who applied for a medical card were not successful.

In addition, just 57% had private health insurance.

In its study three years ago, The Real Cost of Cancer, the Irish Cancer Society found that everyone diagnosed with cancer is affected financially in some way.

Kathleen O’Meara, the society’s then-head of advocacy and communications said: ‘While three-in-five patients surveyed had a medical card at the time of diagnosis and more than half had private health insurance, more than 20% of those who applied for a medical card after their diagnosis were not successful.

‘But even those with a medical card or private health insurance had to pay out for the many things not covered such as childcare, hospital parking’ etc’.