Cancer patients and clinicians left waiting as Budget 2026 offers delay instead of direction
Published October 2025Read time 1 minute(s)
The Marie Keating Foundation has expressed serious concern that no specific funding has been confirmed for cancer care within the €27.4 billion health allocation announced in Budget 2026.
With key details on how the funding will be distributed across the new regional health areas still to be decided over the coming weeks, the Foundation said cancer patients and healthcare professionals have been left in limbo.
Liz Yeates, CEO of the Marie Keating Foundation, said: “Cancer doesn’t wait — but right now, patients and healthcare professionals are being told to wait for clarity. It is deeply worrying that in a record health budget, there is still no defined allocation for cancer care, no confirmed funding for the National Cancer Strategy and no transparency on how oncology medicines will be prioritised.”
Ms Yeates said that this lack of clarity has real consequences for frontline cancer services.
“Clinicians can’t plan, hospitals can’t recruit, and patients can’t be reassured when no one knows what resources will be available next year. The current National Cancer Strategy (2017 – 2026) urgently needs dedicated funding to complete its final year with many of the targets as yet unmet – and Government must also commit resources to begin planning the next strategy. Cancer incidence is rising, and without long-term investment and vision, the system will simply not keep pace with demand.”
While the Foundation supports efforts to improve regional equity, it warned that cancer care requires strong national coordination and ring-fenced funding to ensure consistent access to diagnostics, treatment and new therapies across all parts of the country.
“Cancer services cannot depend on geography or post codes – without national leadership and dedicated ringfenced funding, we risk creating further inequalities in outcomes and delays in treatment.”
The Foundation welcomed the €30 million allocation for new medicines but noted that there is still no clarity on how much of this will support oncology treatments or whether it will advance the long-promised Early Access Programme for innovative medicines.
“We need to see urgency, not uncertainty. Cancer patients deserve clear commitments, faster access to care and more investment in healthcare infrastructure that reflects the scale of the challenge.”
The Foundation is calling for clarity on how the National Cancer Strategy and National Cancer Control Programme will be funded in 2026 and beyond, how regional budgets will safeguard cancer services and how patients will gain faster access to diagnostics, treatment and new medicines.
Ms Yeates added: “Cancer patients and clinicians don’t need another period of discussion — they need direction. Budget 2026 should have delivered certainty and leadership. Instead, it has left us waiting for answers.”
Marie Keating Foundation budget submission can be viewed here:
