Hospitals offer free PAP clinics

No appointment needed for walk-in tests

The Montfort Hospital and The Ottawa Hospital are offering walk-in PAP clinics in October to provide women with a convenient way to get tested for cervical cancer.

“The PAP test is a very simple and effective test, and cervical cancer is a very preventable type of cancer,” said Dr. Emily Brecher, one of the organizers and a University of Ottawa medical resident. “We found that access is lacking for women who don’t have a family physician or find it challenging to attend appointments.”

Some women might avoid regular screening because of a previous uncomfortable experience, she said. “We want to create awareness that it doesn’t have to be a bad event and is an important part of health maintenance.”

About 80 women attended The Ottawa Hospital’s walkin clinics last year. Of those, eight women were found to have an abnormality that was close to becoming cancer, and one case of cancer was discovered and treated.

Cervical cancer takes years to develop, which improves chances of timely detection and successful treatment. However, only about 70 per cent of women in Ottawa aged 21 to 69 had a PAP test between 2009 and 2011, according to the City of Ottawa public health department. And, a 2005 survey showed that more than 24,000 women had never had a PAP smear.

The test is free; no appointment or referral is required for the walk-in clinics. Patients should take their health card. If followup is needed, they will be referred

to a gynecologist.