Dubbo cancer survivor Gwen Glover had to travel to St Vincent’s Hospital for a stem cell transplant more than 10 years ago.

She said the government subsidy, the Isolated Patients Travel and Accommodation Assistance Scheme or IPTAAS, was well under par.

“The cost of fuel is high, parking is expensive and the payments are not adequate enough to cover all of the expenses,” Mrs Glover said.

“The IPTAAS goes nowhere to cover these expenses.”

Currently IPTAAS covers $43 per night for accommodation costs, not even a third required for the average Sydney motel.

However, the subsidy also applies for patients staying with family or friends.

Just 19 cents per kilometre can be claimed by IPTASS patients on fuel expenses.

The cost of a plane flight or other transport can be subsidised with doctor referral.

Escorts or carers are subsidised if the patient’s doctor verifies they are required for medical reasons by the patient.

Mrs Glover undertook a bone marrow transplant as a trial treatment for myelofibrosis, a disease affecting the blood cells.

Four years on from her diagnosis in 1997 she had her spleen removed at St Vincent’s.

After she was given a two-year prognosis a bone marrow transplant from her brother Ken in 2004 was her saving grace.

Ken lives at Lightning Ridge and was flown down to Sydney by Angel Flight for the procedure.

Although he spent more than a week in Sydney prior to and after the operation it not subsidised.

Mrs Glover said this highlighted the amount of out of pocket costs beyond the subsidy.

“Patients also must provide for medical expenses, time away from work and have to organise for someone to look after their children if they have any,” Mrs Glover said.

After the procedure Mrs Glover traveled to Sydney for weekly follow-up appointments.

She said she spent two to three months spending four days in Sydney and back to Dubbo for three days.

Mrs Glover said the trip to Sydney cost her about $600 each time.

Ten years on expenses would be higher, but based on these figures Mrs Glover would receive compensation for less than half of her expenses with the current IPTAAS system.

“Even double (the funding) wouldn’t cover (patient’s out of pocket expenses),” she said.

The likes of surgery and chemotherapy is available at Dubbo Hospital but radiotherapy patients have to travel to Orange McGrath breast care nurse Vanessa Hyland said.

“Dubbo itself is quite well resourced, but further west they have huge travel expenses,” she said.

Mrs Glover said paperwork was confusing and not worth the effort.

“The forms were really complicated; I went through all that at the time, but it hardly covered anything,” she said.

Ten years later Gwen is an active member of the Dubbo Cancer Support Group.