Theme (number of quotes) | Subthemes | Illustrative quotes | |
Patients (n=16) and family members (n=6) | Oncologists (n=16) | ||
2. Options for funding expensive treatments (242) | Private health insurance | ‘Even when you have health insurance, you still need to pay for a lot of things privately. There’s medical equipment that I need to finance myself. There are things that aren’t in the public system and anyone who doesn’t have private insurance needs to pay [for these things]’ (relative of interviewee 7). | ‘We can’t ignore the crazy costs. Patients can’t withstand these kinds of expenses. We need to raise awareness regarding the importance of taking out private insurance. When a patient has private insurance, it’s convenient. We’re in the periphery of the country, not in the center. Very few of the patients here take out personal insurance’ (oncologist 3). |
Compassionate care | ‘More compassionate care treatments should be made available, to give several free treatments to people who are terminal. I know these companies are for profit, it’s a shame they lose their humanity along the way’ (patient 13). | ‘There are some organizations we refer patients to. They get a few free treatments, which don’t cure them but extend their life at a good quality of life’ (oncologist 2). ‘Some compassionate care programs are good. Because our patients don’t have private insurance, we try to help them. They can get a new medication that’s not in the basket for free’ (oncologist 6). |