Not only is cancer deadly, but it can also be financially debilitating, costing as much as $100,000 per month for hospice or palliative care.

To afford care, the patient either needs to be rich, or insured.

"The cost of health care is becoming more and more forbidding and it is, therefore, extremely helpful to get insurance," says Sister Mary Andrews, administrator of the Consie Walters Hospice in Kingston where cancer patients get palliative care in the end stages of the disease.

"Two million dollars can disappear very quickly," she said.

Cancer is acknowledged as one of the biggest killers in Jamaica, but the Cancer Registry data end at 1999, when there were 2,697 deaths, and an assessed cancer prevalence of 140.5 per 100,000 population.

Early detection can reduce costs a great deal, says Sister Mary, although in some cases the disease recurs with further need for treatment.

But the cancer might be discovered in stage three or four, which is the end stage. At this point, lifespan would be shorter than a person with early detection, and costs would differ phenomenally.

"If you have years of treatment, then you can anticipate a health bill which is exorbitant. With hospice care, it's helpful to have insurance," Sister Mary said.

"Hospice care can use up a lot of your resources, especially for pensioners. One needs to prepare."

For a "subsidised" price of $2,000 daily, patients of Consie Walters get 24-hour nursing care, accommodation, meals, and laundry service.

Medication is an additional $45,000 monthly, depending on the types of medication needed, and whether the patient has National Health Fund (NHF) registration.

With the NHF card, medication can be as cheap as $40 per drug monthly; without NHF, it can be $3,500 for monthly supply of one drug.

avia.collinder@gleanerjm.com