People could be missing out on life-saving early treatment by not visiting their GP doctor sooner – the Irish Cancer Society has warned.
New research shows that two-in-five-people have been unable to afford an appointment in the country. While over a third of the people asked said they had ‘too many other things to worry about’ to make an appointment.
The news follows new figures released by the INMO today, which shows that nine people are currently waiting to be admitted to Letterkenny University Hospital.
The research, carried out to mark the launch of Cancer Week Ireland asked 1,000 adults whether any of a range of possible reasons had stopped them from going to their doctor. These ranged from costs to fear, anxiety and embarrassment about their condition.
The survey found that 3 in 4 Irish adults had previously not visited the doctors due to at least one of these reasons.
Averil Power, CEO of the Irish Cancer Society, said expressed concern that early signs of cancer were being missed due to social, emotional and financial barriers stopping people from consulting their doctor sooner.
“When it comes to cancer, early diagnosis can be the difference between life and death. The Irish Cancer Society does a huge amount of work to inform the public about the early warning signs and symptoms of cancer so that they can get them checked out as soon as possible,” Power said.
“It’s disappointing to see the range of barriers that are stopping people from taking action when it comes to their health.
“No-one should ever feel ashamed or embarrassed when it comes to talking about their health. Nor should cost be a factor in accessing professional medical advice. If anyone has any concerns about signs or symptoms or any aspect of cancer and are putting off visiting their doctor, we ask them to please contact our Freephone Cancer Nurseline on 1800 200 700 for confidential advice (lines open Monday–Friday, 9am-5pm).”
The new research comes as the Irish Cancer Society launches Cancer Week Ireland 2018, which takes place from Monday, September 24 to Sunday, September 30.
The investigation also found that almost three in ten (29%) were too worried about what their doctor might find to visit them. While one in five (20%) were put off because they felt it would be too difficult to talk to their doctor about the issue or symptom.
For more information and ideas on how everyone can get involved in Cancer Week Ireland 2018, please visit www.cancerweek.ie.
