Cancer worse for those on low incomes, report finds
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Large imbalances in access to cancer services make the disease more devastating for people on low incomes as they face a financial and health crisis.
Lack of money negatively affects every stage of treatment especially recovery, a review of services by think-thank TASC has found.
One doctor quoted in the report said: “Ireland’s extreme waiting lists will adversely affect the majority of low SES (socio-economic status) groups in how early a malignant cancerous tumour is found. Yet the impact of delayed diagnostic stage will be the greatest among the most vulnerable.”
Getting access to a diagnosis or referral can be delayed for communities lacking regular interaction with GPs.
Director Shana Cohen said: “(the report) highlights a plethora of crisscrossing gaps and deficiencies that make cancer a more devastating disease for less well-off individuals and families.”
Anyone with a low-income and no savings or with young children as well as the Traveller community and homeless people are among those at risk.
The report highlights obstacles including ambulance and emergency department fees for patients without insurance or medical cards, transport, car parks and accommodation.
It found people can feel shame about some cancers and are reluctant to go to hospitals. Regular screening of at-risk populations could address this, the report said.
The report also found financial and literacy barriers to accessing healthier diets and help needed after treatment.
“Cancer patients living in low-income households are less likely to have access to private gym equipment, safe parks and green spaces or private gardens,” it states.
Many cancer support centres started as breast-cancer centres run by white middle-class women, and this does not necessarily feel welcoming for a wider range of patients, the report found.
“In short, while rates of survival for cancer patients across Ireland have risen significantly over the past few decades, there are still large imbalances,” the report said, referring to financial and social differences.
Irish Cancer Society CEO Aevril Power said the findings show vulnerable groups do not benefit from general improvements in cancer survival rates.
“It is shameful that people from lower socio-economic backgrounds are significantly more likely to get certain cancers and to die from them,” she said.