Close the Cancer Gap
The Irish Cancer Society has produced a list of eight General Election goals that will reduce the
cancer gap, which means that where you live can affect whether you will survive or die from cancer.
Our goals, if put in place, will help make sure that everyone has an equal opportunity to live a
healthy life.
Fair and equal access
Our health system, in its current form, does not treat everyone equally. Committing to our goals
will:
• Make sure that everyone has fairer and more equal access to important tests, such as
colonoscopies which check for bowel cancer. At the moment, nearly 3,400 people are waiting
longer than three months for this test, some of whom have been waiting longer than a year. At a
private hospital, patients get appointments within twelve days.
• Make sure the process of introducing a system of Universal Healthcare begins. This would treat
everyone equally, be free at the point of access and would end the two-tier health system that
sees users of the public system facing long waits for diagnosis and treatment.
Cost of cancer
Putting our proposals to reduce the cost of cancer in place will decrease the financial burden a
cancer diagnosis places on families. Our “Real Cost of Cancer” report shows that a cancer diagnosis,
on average, costs €862 a month. This is without taking into account the loss of income a diagnosis
can cause, which averaged at €1,400. To ease this burden we recommend:
• Automatic entitlement to a medical card upon cancer diagnosis
• Abolition of the prescription charge
• A reduction in the Drugs Payment Scheme threshold to €85
Cancer policy action
Policy action is required to ensure we continue to progress our vital screening programmes that save
lives, and to make sure addressing the health inequalities that cause the cancer gap is at the top of
the next Government’s agenda. To do this, the next Government needs to:
• Keep the current commitment to extending breast and bowel screening programmes to more of
the population.
• Commit to publish and put in place a new National Cancer Strategy that makes closing the cancer
gap between the most deprived and least deprived a priority.
• Set up a Government Sub Committee on Health Inequalities. This would get all Government
Ministers and Departments to look at how to reduce the health divide between different sections
of society.
Thank you for supporting the Irish Cancer Society.
Find out more at www.cancer.ie/cancer-gap.
BALLOT PAPER – GENERAL ELECTION 2016
Instructions
1.Ask any candidates who call to your door what they’ll do to close
the #CancerGap
2.On polling day, write 1 in the box next to the candidate who
commits to:
FAIR AND EQUAL ACCESS
Tackle waiting times for vital tests for cancer
FAIR AND EQUAL ACCESS
Commit to introducing Universal Healthcare
CANCER COST
Automatic entitlement to medical cards upon cancer
diagnosis
CANCER COST
Abolish prescription charges
CANCER COST
Reduce drugs payment scheme threshold to €85
CANCER POLICY ACTION
Implement the new cancer strategy
CANCER POLICY ACTION
Keep commitment to extend breast and bowel screening
programmes
CANCER POLICY ACTION
Establish a Government sub-committee on health
inequalities
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