More people are avoiding healthcare now compared to the same time last year, with costs and pressure on the system being identified as barriers, according to new research.
On Monday the Irish Cancer Society published a new report from Core Research which examined people’s experiences with and perceptions of the healthcare sector.
According to the research over one in four people did not go to a medical appointment when they needed to in the three months before they were surveyed. This is an increase compared to last year; in August 2023, 18 per cent avoided going to a GP or hospital appointment when needed, but by August 2024 this had increased to 27 per cent.
The survey of 1,000 people, a national representative sample, found more that three in 10 people did not go to a healthcare appointment because they could not afford it. One in four, meanwhile, felt they must prioritise other costs over healthcare, such as heating and eating. Almost two-fifths put off a medical appointment due to pressures in the system.
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Averil Power, chief executive of the Irish Cancer Society, said it was “shocking that people are left with no choice but to prioritise other costs like heating and eating above paying for medical appointments”.
“One in four of us have put off going to a healthcare appointment when we needed to. For many of us getting the healthcare we need when we need it is simply out of reach,” she said. “We already have the third highest cancer deaths in western Europe, and Ireland’s cancer rates are expected to double by 2045. So it’s really concerning that more and more people are avoiding healthcare now compared to last year.”
She added: “The big risk is that this could result in missed cancers, resulting in late-stage diagnoses and ultimately worse outcomes for cancer patients.”
In advance of the general election the charity is calling on the next government to “fully fund” the national cancer strategy, abolish hospital car parking charges and to legislate on the right to be forgotten for cancer patients so they do not have to disclose their diagnosis after five years.
The Government has introduced a number of measures in recent years to increase accessibility of the health service, including the introduction of a free GP visit card for those aged under eight and over 70, the establishment of a waiting list action plan and the expansion of the primary care system to provide more healthcare in the community.
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