Programs director for Dubbo and districts Camilla Barlow said in NSW people with cancer who were public hospital patients may be charged a co-payment for their chemotherapy medicines which could add to the financial and emotional burden of cancer.

"This is inequitable as co-payments are not a requirement in other Australian states," Ms Barlow said.

"Even within NSW some patients may have the fee waived by the hospital.

"The chemotherapy co-payment may be up to $180 for the first round of chemotherapy with additional costs if medicines are changed.

"Cancer Council recommends that the NSW government restructure funding and administrative arrangements so that no public patient is charged for injectable and infusible chemotherapy when they attend a NSW public hospital."

Western NSW Local Health District director of cancer services Ruth Jones provided the following statement:

"The way that outpatient chemotherapy works in NSW is to utilise a Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) prescription for each chemotherapy drug required in the regimen each patient has," she said.

"The Western NSW Local Health District has a chemotherapy provider in Sydney who receives the prescription from the medical oncologist or haematologist who has prescribed the chemotherapy regimen.

"The chemotherapy provider then bills the patient for the PBS co-payment, ensuring that there is communication with their local pharmacy so that when they reach the safety net the reduced rate applies for each drug.

"The Western NSW Local Health District does not send the bill or receive the payment."

Ms Jones said the cost for prescriptions were:

Safety Net threshold:

Once the safety net is reached, the co-payment is: