Cancer fund faces record demand as treatment costs may exceed 5.5 million euros

Estonian cancer treatment fund Kingitud Elu received 53 requests for assistance in September, a monthly record, as rising demand could push its treatment costs above 5.5 million euros this year, ERR reported.

Donations to the fund have increased by nearly 20 percent this year. But the number of applications has risen even faster: the total received in the first nine months and the first few days of October has already surpassed last year’s figure, fund head Margit Saar-Kraavi said on Vikerraadio.

The previous monthly record was 45 applications, also set this year. The fund issued 50 support decisions in September. Saar-Kraavi said she could not explain the sharp increase, but suggested that advances in medicine may mean diseases are being detected earlier.

The fund’s budget is expected to exceed five million euros this year, while treatment costs could top 5.5 million euros. Saar-Kraavi said the final figure would depend on the number of applications in the remaining months, and the fund could end the year in deficit.

Regular donations provide the fund with a more predictable source of income, she said, adding that the number of monthly donors is growing.

The most expensive treatment currently supported by the fund costs 50,000 euros a month. It is for choir conductor Janne Fridolin, who has gained more than four years with the fund’s help. The average monthly cost of medicine for one patient is 10,000 to 15,000 euros, Saar-Kraavi said.

The fund has not yet had to refuse assistance because of a medicine’s cost. Saar-Kraavi said that in previous difficult periods, circumstances had come together to help the fund finish the year positively. She also said it was particularly difficult when a medicine funded by the charity proved unsuitable or ineffective for a patient.

A bill to amend the Medicinal Products Act is currently being considered by the Estonian parliament.