Prebudget Submission 2026

One in two of us will be diagnosed with cancer in our lifetimes.  

And that number is only set to grow: the number of people getting cancer is projected to double by 2045. As a result, a significant increase in investment in cancer staff, equipment and physical space is required.  

Infrastructure and capacity deficits are already having real world impacts on patient outcomes. The Government needs to commit to urgent investment in basic equipment such as PET scanners and physical capacity to alleviate pressure on oncology units.  

In our Budget 2026 submission, the Irish Cancer Society is calling for:  

• A 5% increase in recurrent health infrastructure spending from 2026-2030, in line with the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (IFAC) call that we need to increase its health infrastructure spending by 5% year on year to 2033 to keep pace with the EU average health infrastructure spend 
• Recurrent, ringfenced funding for the national cancer strategy of at least €20million, a commitment to multi-annual funding, and an assessment of the funding needs of cancer services to ensure full implementation of the National Cancer Strategy 
• Increased funding for the Irish Cancer Society to meet soaring demand 

The Irish Cancer Society is also urging the Government to address the cost related to a cancer diagnosis in Budget 2026. Recommendations include the abolition of hospital parking fees for cancer patients, an automatic entitlement to the medical card for cancer patients and a reduction of the drugs payment scheme threshold to €40 per month or less. 

If Government has the foresight to invest in cancer prevention, care and survivorship for next year and beyond, more of us who hear the three words, ‘You have cancer’ will go on to hear three other words that the Irish Cancer Society believes we should all hear: ‘You will survive’.