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Updated 6.41 pm
THE IRISH CANCER Society has said it’s closing its financial support programme due to the demand being unmanageable.
Callers to Joe Duffy’s Liveline radio programme have criticised the move to shutdown the programme from this Friday.
One caller said that while the society does “trojan work” for those with cancer, cutting off this money to parents with children with cancer will be devastating.
Another caller said his child was diagnosed with cancer in October 2015. He said he couldn’t believe it when heard the news today that the Irish Cancer Society were “pulling the grants”.
“Kids are our future… our kids didn’t make this choice,” he said.
We live close to the hospital, but there are parents there travelling up from Donegal. I have lost all respect for the Irish Cancer Society for pulling funding… that €1,000 goes a long way for people. It is one less headache for people going through this.
Others questioned why support for cancer patients should be left to charities.
The hardship fund was set up by the Irish Cancer Society to help patients and their families who found themselves in financial difficulty because of a cancer diagnosis.
Patients could apply for financial aid if they were not able to meet costs associated with heating and fuel, home help, respite, childcare, accomodation needed for hospital appointments and also travel. The fund did not cover medication costs or rent.
In a statement from the society today, it said:
We greatly regret having to close this fund, but unfortunately the demand has become too big for us to manage. Since the economic crash of 2008, demand of the Financial Support programme has grown considerably and last year, 2015, the society gave €1.8 million to patients who were facing financial hardship.
However, figures obtained by TheJournal.ie show that the amount paid out to recipients in 2015 was in fact €1,551,775, and not the €1.8 million previously stated by the society.
In response to an enquiry by TheJournal.ie, an Irish Cancer Society spokesperson provided the following figures on families who have benefited from the hardship fund in recent years:
The spokesperson could not provide figures for the total number of applications for the scheme, but said the proportion of applicants who are rejected each year is “very minimal.”
Huge growth in demand
The statement added that as the charity is funded over 90% by the public, it found it was unable to meet the huge growth in demand for the programme from cancer patients.
Closing the Financial Support Programme was a difficult choice to make, but against the background of a drop in fundraised income in 2015, we were forced to choose between the free and unique services which we provide to patients, and the Financial Support fund, demand for which was growing at a rate which could have put our free services at risk.
It said it also funds cancer research, provides cancer information and support, a free palliative night nursing service, as well as a whole range of activities to support cancer patients.
The society said it continues to support cancer patients who are struggling financially as a result of their cancer diagnosis by providing advice and information on the range of government and voluntary schemes which they can access.
It is not possible for the Irish Cancer Society alone to alleviate this financial burden which a cancer diagnosis brings.
Hope government and HSE will respond
The statement said it understands the real cost of cancer and said the issue has been highlighted with government and the HSE . It said it hoped both would “respond adequately”.
Last year, the society carried out an in-depth survey called The Real Cost of Cancer, which showed that cancer patients and their families can face serious financial pressure while they are going through their treatment.
As a result of that research, the Irish Cancer Society said it is taking on an advocacy campaign to have cancer patients have immediate access to a medical card once to diagnosed, to lobby hospitals treating cancer patients for free parking for them and their families, and to reduce the Drugs Payment Scheme limit to €85 from €114. The scheme allows individuals and families across Ireland to only pay €144 each month for approved prescribed medicines.
It also wants Community Welfare Officers (those in charge of administering supplementary welfare allowance to those that need it in the community) to recognise the “catastrophic impact” on self-employed patients of a cancer diagnosis and to ensure they are financially supported.
Additional reporting by Dan Mac Guill
First published 12.35pm
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How much of these monies have been sourced by the Catholic church? Surely an old convent or two should be sold to somewhat make amends. Shatter has requested such funding, yet it appears not a penny has been shared. Why is the tax-payer paying for the sins of the Catholic church?
Because Bertie and his cronies were such good Catholics.
Granted Joseph.
But as my mother says
The rest of the feckers in Leinster house over the year had a mouth on them as well and they said feck all about this travesty.
Imagine some of today’s fine leaders used to drive by slave camps everyday on their way into the Dail and think nothing wrong of it.
The Magdelane Laundry closed in 1996.
The “last” Magdelane Laundry closed in 1996.
Anyway.
As recent events have illustrated, Ireland’s fine leaders think nothing of abusing/enslaving their people in one way or another.
Money will never replace what the establishment took from them.
Pittance
Paddy power got most of my mums compo already.
I am not sure if there is anything I hate more than the catholic church for what it did to those children. Not only is what happened devastating, but those who covered it up and facilitated its continuance for so long are as bad as the abusers themselves. Those that then choose to recognise and support such an institution today really make me wonder what is wrong with them. Why would/could anybody support an organisation that did this to innocent children!? What is wrong with people? You people really do make me feel ill.
I concur with everything you say John Q . The disconcerting thing is that a catholic task force of laypeople and clergy has been set up to
Spread disinformation and lies about the extent of the abuse. Their mantra is to Deny ! Deny ! Deny ! At all costs any accusations against the church irrespective of the truth or source of the information. On the flip side there seems to be other groups of clergy mainly in the states who have set up support groups for clergy whistle blowers. http://www.catholicwhistleblowers.com
Didn’t these women have families too?
We’re all angry here at the state paying for church sins which is fair enough but the irish press also know as the journal gives the Church sinners a constant platform to spout their moral shite through their two spin offs, the immigrant council of ireland and the migrant council who in turn produced the mens development network. So for every one story such as the horrors that these woman suffered the irish press will act as an online broadsheet to spread the good shepherds words
Actually, you are full of shite!
The RCC should be made to pay? Look at the wealth that it has, The RCC can afford to pay..
I’m sickened and apaulled by what went on and the cover up of these poor children and Adults.
@Trevor Beacom, What are you on about?! The immigrant council of ireland and The migrant council have nothing to do with the good sheperd magdeline laundry..?
You are entitled to your opinion about those two councils but they serve a genuine and legitimate purpose; just because you disagree with that purpose why must you spread your shite talk in unrelated articles?
And your name is?
My name is irrelevant. Why do you ask, will knowing my name help you to explain your previous comment?
You know only too well the links between the groups. Pretending that they dont exist is silly. Every eci and mci article which appear here I will publish proof of the links
Still no one is asking why were the London Women’s Group Given €250,000 at the Commissioning of the Quirke Report!
Was this to seek endorsement of the Macalese Report and ensure Compliance with the Quirke findings on Redress?
Shatter certainly compromised this situation by doing this!
My mother spent a couple of years in the Magdalene Laundry in Limerick as well as her entire childhood in the Irish state workhouses and they are telling her that they cannot find her records.
Wait for the vaccine test programmes that were run in these places to come into the spotlight. Humam medical trails without informed consent. That is going to cost.
Sadly the Commission into Child Abuse was stopped from investigating this by the Welcome Trust now part of GSK. There will be no report or Compensation on this.
The Government commissioned a Report that washed the Religious Whiter than a Magdalene Laundry Sheet!
They got the Report they paid for absolving the Nuns and phasing the burden squarely on the State and Tax Payer AGAIN!
have your say