Cancer patients are on average more worried about the cost of heating their home compared to others, according to new research from the Irish Cancer Society.
A poll of cancer patients found that three in four say they have reduced their spending on heating compared to 60 per cent among the general public. Some 70 per cent of patients have also cut back on petrol or diesel costs.
The poll of cancer patients, carers and members of the public was carried out by Core Research on behalf of the Irish Cancer Society. It included 569 households affected by cancer.
More than 40 per cent of these households reported spending an average of €275 per month in total across the categories of heating, petrol/diesel and electricity.
The Irish Cancer Society said home heating is important for households coping with a cancer diagnosis, with patients potentially spending more time at home between treatments while they are off work.
“Patients are also particularly reliant on fuel as they travel to hospital appointments, sometimes over long distances,” it said.
“Considering patients also face average out-of-pocket medical expenses of €200 per month, the combined result is a huge hit to their personal finances.”
One in five cancer patients said they chose not to attend their GP or hospital for a healthcare concern due to fears over the cost involved.
Rachel Morrogh, Director of Advocacy at the Irish Cancer Society, said the organisation was seeing “a huge amount of anxiety among people affected by cancer as they worry about heating their homes and paying for Christmas”.
Ms Morrogh said it has received 30 per cent more enquiries on financial issues this year compared to 2021.
“We are hearing that cancer patients have reduced what they spend on food so that they can pay for transport to treatment,” she said.
“Other families have had to stop their children’s sports activities because the money just isn’t there to keep them going. Another patient told us he wasn’t sure he had enough fuel to get to treatment and cut back on the number of meals he ate so he could save money.
“This is the reality of having cancer in Ireland today. Despite the welcome decision by Government to abolish hospital charges, families across the country are having to face grave choices due to the cost of cancer. No cancer patient should ever have to reduce the number of meals they have just so they can afford to get to treatment.”
Ms Morrogh added that more supports to “protect patients from the costs of having cancer” were needed.
“These include providing a medical card to every cancer patient, removing hospital car parking charges, abolishing prescription charges and making benefits more openly available to those who find themselves in such an incredibly difficult position,” she said.
