Those affected by cancer lose average of €16,200 a year, society says
People affected by cancer lose an average of €16,200 in their annual income as a result of their diagnosis, the Irish Cancer Society says.
This figure was found by looking at data from an Irish Cancer Society survey, conducted by Ireland Thinks.
The findings highlight the difficult stories of how people affected by cancer are struggling with the consistent outgoings while accessing treatment.
Many patients had paid up to €300 just to get to their appointments each month; this includes many hidden costs like car parking fees, fuel and tolls. On top of this, many patients faced costs of up to €400 a month on medical expenses and prescription costs.
Many patients said that they were forced to borrow from family or friends, or to use their savings. Many fell behind on their mortgage and other housing costs due to the financial pressure.
The Irish Cancer Society says that Budget 2027 is an opportunity for the Government to improve the lives of people affected by cancer. They are calling for a number of measures that may help.
These include: Cancer patients are automatically entitled to a medical card for the duration of their illness;
The drug repayment scheme threshold is reduced to €40;
Hospital car parking charges are abolished; and
Anyone with advanced cancer, or who is nearing the end of life, is automatically entitled to the Fuel Allowance and the Household Benefits Package.
Mother of three, Aoife Murphy from Portarlington, Co. Laois, was diagnosed with breast cancer in January 2025. Privately renting, she had been saving up for a deposit for a house, but these savings have now all but disappeared.
Aoife said:
“Before I got sick, I was always trying to put money away. You’d put something aside for the rainy day, for your kids, and I was trying to build a house deposit too. All of that was really thrown out the window once I was diagnosed with cancer. It's the hospital fees, it's the oncology fees, the surgeon fees, it's the driving up and back to Dublin, and parking in the Mater is astronomical. It's constantly chipping away at your safety net, at your plans and hopes for the future. I basically lost any hope of a house deposit to my cancer diagnosis.”
68-year-old Miriam Hilliard, originally from Listowel, Co. Kerry, now living in Drogheda, Co. Louth, was diagnosed with endometrial cancer in 2018. Since then, the former teacher and retired civil servant has had several cancer reoccurrences and undergone extensive treatment. Throughout, she has had to contend with the cost of cancer.
Miriam said:
“Over the past eight years, I’ve been up and down to the Mater a lot. You're putting fuel in the car, and it is €15 a day for car parking charges. My medication, which I have been on since 2018 and will be on for the rest of my life, costs me €80 a month. The other expense which really racks up is just the cost of being on the road. You're eating out of hospital canteens, shops or garages and could easily see €30-€40 a day disappear. You also have the costs of your wigs and other medical equipment. This all adds up and over the duration of my cancer experience, it really has added a level of financial stress.
She added:
“I have applied for and been refused a medical card. I fully support the Irish Cancer Society in its calls for the abolition of hospital car parking charges for cancer patients and agree that every patient, from the moment they are diagnosed and for the duration of their diagnosis, should be awarded a medical card.”