Cancer is not a choice. “Each year 12.7 million people worldwide are diagnosed with cancer and 7.6 million people die from the disease. 30-40% of those deaths could have been prevented.” There is no doubt that some of the reasons people did not receive treatment is due to cost. There are so many different types of cancer and so many different treatments and drugs which aren’t fully funded by the government. This essay will discuss why all patients with cancer should receive free treatment to give them the best possible outcome.
Some cancer patients are going broke to stay alive. In New Zealand we are lucky because access to free medical care is available via the public health system. Although this option is free, it can have a disadvantage. New Zealand has a population of 4.75 million people and 40 public hospitals. If we think about not only cancer diagnoses, but other illnesses and surgeries, hospitals get extremely busy. This is massive cost to the NZ
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When having cancer treatment like chemotherapy, radiation, surgery or medication the patients work life will be dramatically affected. “70% of cancer diagnoses will be to people with 50+ years of age.” At 50 people are generally still of working age. When having treatment their work may be affected so they cannot pay for usual bills or afford to buy groceries, pay for children's sport events or many more things parents have to account for. Some treatment may require long hospital stays or treatment in other places far from home. Our employers and co workers need to understand that having cancer is extremely tough. Due to the sometimes debilitating treatment, work cannot be complete. Cancer patients should not have to worry about working when they are trying to recover, instead they should have free treatment, so they are not caught up on working at an extremely difficult