We call on the next State Government to prioritise reducing the financial burden for cancer patients and their carers during an already difficult time by:

• Capping parking fees at cancer treatment centres and hospitals to $5 per day for both patients and carers. Parking is a big issue for all cancer patients and their carers/families. Many people expect some out of pocket expenses for investigations and treatments but certainly shouldn’t have to face a large financial burden for parking over a sustained period of time whilst undergoing treatment or hospitalisation.
• Addressing the lack of transparency with fees and charges that lead to significant out of pocket expenses. All doctors/specialists, health care providers and treatment centres to provide full and transparent details of the cost of the person’s cancer treatment. The Standard for Informed Financial Consent that is currently voluntary should become a compulsory part of best practice in patient care and information.
• Increasing the accommodation subsidy from the Patient Assisted Travel Scheme to be more in line with commercial rates. Current subsidy rates are $60 per night for eligible applicants and $75 per night for an eligible applicant travelling with an approved carer. This rate has not increased for 12 years and is inadequate for country patients travelling to Perth for treatment, resulting in significant out of pocket expenses.