|
WHAT
else is wrong with our Health care system?
This article was
published in The West End
Times October 22, 2011.
According
to the Public Health Agency of Canada 15% of
women have never been screened for cervical cancer and 30% have not
been screened in the last three years. Screening involves having a Pap
smear. Of those who are screened each year in Canada, 400,000 women
receive an abnormal Pap test result, 1,300 to 1,500 women are diagnosed
with cervical cancer and almost 400 women die of this disease. The good
news is that since 1996, the
incidence of cervical cancer has declined and, since 1995, mortality
rates have
also decreased. The main reasons for these reductions are improved
knowledge,
the widespread regular use of Pap test screening, and the availability
of HPV
vaccination. The Pap test is an excellent way for women to prevent
cervical
cancer. It is the only way to detect abnormal cells in the cervix
which, if
left untreated, could develop into cancer.
The
Federation of Medical Women of Canada (FMWC) and the Society of
Obstetricians
and Gynecologists of Canada (SOGC) are launching this year’s National Pap Test Campaign, to take
place during National Cervical
Cancer Awareness Week. This
is the third year for this campaign, which originated as a main project
of the
FMWC in 2009. From October 23rd to 29th, over 250
health-care professionals across Canada are taking a stand against
cervical cancer by hosting public Pap test clinics in their community. For a
list of participating health-care
professionals and clinics in the Montreal
area go to the FMWC website at www.fmwc.ca, or
call me. This campaign is to increase awareness
across Canada
with support from several groups. The hope is that by aligning timing
with
provinces and territories across Canada, the combined efforts will
increase the reach and impact of their call to action for women to get
their
pap test (smear). Pap tests save lives!
Cervical cancer
develops over time. The few minutes required for a Pap test could
prevent
hours, days, months or years in medical appointments, treatments, pain
and
suffering. Women are dying needlessly from this largely preventable
cancer. Dr.
Nahid Azad, President of the Federation of Medical Women of Canada, is
concerned about the women who are not getting screened. “Women
can beat the
odds. Why “roll the dice” when Pap testing is free, quick
and effective? As
this year’s campaign theme states it so well – Don’t
count on luck to save you
from cervical cancer. Instead, place your bets on your family
physician, gynaecologist,
or registered nurse to provide you with your Pap test today.”
(FMWC Press
Release: Oct. 12th 2011)
The bad
news is it seems to be getting harder to have
a Pap smear. Many GP’s no longer do them and refer to specialists
and then
there’s the WAIT!!! These free clinics are a great way to
increase awareness
and for some women to take advantage of the offer. However, we need to
recognize the problem and find long term solutions for the many women
not
getting screened. In the “North”, nurses do Pap smears. The
question is “Are
nurses smarter in the North?” or is it that solutions have been
found out of
necessity? When spreading the word about this campaign many women said
that the
hours are limited and it is difficult to get there and they questioned
how long
the wait would be given that there is walk-in testing. At least this
campaign reminds
us of the importance and may urge women to get tested if they have a
doctor. What
about the many women who do not have a doctor? How do they get an
appointment for
this test? Do women have to get an appointment with their GP just to
get a
referral to a doctor who does Pap smears? This long process bogs down
the
system one more time. While I applaud the efforts of the health
professionals
who are donating their time to offer the free Pap Smears to people who
are not
their patients and the efforts of those conducting the campaign, can we
not start the discussion about long
term solutions? I am concerned that as our health care system continues
to
break down access to this test will decrease. Why can’t we have
Pap smear
clinics? Why can’t nurses be more involved? Why can’t we
speed up the process
with automatic referrals based on best practice guidelines? Why
can’t we???
Thoughts,
comments, suggestions are always
welcome.
Contact me at donna@ashcanada.com
Health Access, Home and Nursing care
514-695-3131
|
