Health policy in oncology and its social aspects
| Theme (number of quotes) | Subthemes | Illustrative quotes | |
| Patients (n=16) and family members (n=6) | Oncologists (n=16) | ||
| 4. Health policy and social aspects in oncology (343) | Inequality | ‘Some patients raise funds. How can it be that the state just ignores this? Patients will do anything to save their lives, but why do they need to ask the public to pay for their medication?’ (patient 16). ‘Financial support is very important in dealing with the disease. What’s called for is an integrative view that takes the financial, emotional, and spiritual aspects into account’ (interviewee 17). | ‘There’s inequality not only in regard to innovative treatments but regarding all aspects of the surrounding systems: supportive care, nursing assistance, complementary care, and more’ (oncologist 11). ‘People who have the means get to a doctor sooner. They’ll get their imaging done faster, as well as the results of their more advanced molecular screening. There’s inequality in residential areas and the availability of medical services between those living in the country’s periphery and those living in the center’ (oncologist 13). |
| Health basket considerations | ‘More medications need to be added to the basket. Every drug that’s been proven to be effective, that helps patients, that extends life or saves lives, needs to be in the basket. I, as a patient, shouldn’t have to carry the burden of proof myself’ (patient 16). | ‘For most of my patients, who live in areas of lower socio-economic status compared to the center of the country, I prefer to use the drugs that are already in the basket, and I don’t offer what’s not in it, especially to those who have no way of financing the treatment’ (oncologist 4). ‘In the State of Israel, the problem is not the basket. But as a society we are the country who invests the lowest percent of its national budget in healthcare’ (oncologist 14). | |
| The need for policy changes | ‘I think the state should finance all the treatments. That’s why we have national health insurance’ (relative 7). ‘There’s a lot of bureaucracy in the healthcare system. It’s not efficient. You need to make a huge fuss to get approvals, which makes things difficult for the patient and their family. I understand that it costs them money, but we are citizens with rights, and we don’t always know our rights’ (relative of interviewee 5). | ‘We need to invest in the entire healthcare system. You can’t just deal with cancer treatment. These patients need hospitalizations, medical teams, advanced equipment. The basket can be expanded, but we need good infrastructures’ (oncologist 4). ‘The state doesn’t invest enough in cancer treatment, early detection, and follow-up in the community. If there were more budgets for doctors and imaging tests, the entire treatment of cancer patients would be better. There would be more availability, both in the center and the periphery of the country‘ (oncologist 13). | |