Government asked to clarify budget funding for cancer services

Ottoline Spearman

The Government is being asked to provide clarity on how cancer services will be funded next year.

On Wednesday, the Oireachtas Health Committee meeting heard from cancer support groups who are concerned about the decentralisation of services set to take place in 2026.

The Department of Health plans to allocate funding of cancer services to Regional Executive Officers rather than having a centralised system.

The Irish Cancer Society said that it is still in the dark about how the Government plans to fund cancer services from Budget 2026.

Budget 2026, despite a €27.4 billion health allocation, allocated no specific funding for cancer care.

Speaking on Newstalk, Irish Cancer Society's Steve Dempsey said they need clarity so they can ensure patients get the best care possible: "There is a risk that the efficacy that comes from having a central strategy run by cancer experts will be watered down with this new approach."

The group asked the committee for an understanding of how funding will be allocated for cancer services in Budget 2026 and what the role of the National Cancer Control Program will be.

However, Mr Dempsey added: "I think it would be very hard to say that it's a plan that's doomed to fail at the moment. We just need to see the detail."

The Irish Cancer Society said that current delays and missed targets highlight the importance of ringfencing future funding for cancer care.

The Marie Keating Foundation were also concerned that the lack of specific cancer funding in Budget 2026 meant that cancer patients and healthcare professionals have been left in limbo.

The Government was accused last year of deliberately underfunding cancer treatment by Sinn Féin, with the Irish Cancer Society warning that cancer survival rates are unlikely to improve if services remain underfunded.