This is a petition to change OHIP coverage to include HPV-DNA testing as a primary cervical-cancer screening method.

The Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) coverage includes pap smear cervical screening but does not cover the new HPV-DNA testing. Without private health insurance, HPV-DNA testing costs between $90 to $100! Poverty in Canada is estimated to impact over 4.9 million people, who without private health insurance, rely on OHIP coverage to afford medical services.

The Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common viral sexually transmitted infection, impacting approximately 75% of Canadian adults over their lifetime. Low-risk subtypes of HPV can cause genital warts and may resolve without treatment. However, high-risk HPV subtypes left untreated are responsible for 99% of cervical cancer cases. Routine pap smear is used to detect and treat precancerous lesions, preventing cervical cancer, the second most common cancer in women. HPV-DNA testing is a new method of cervical-cancer screening that is more likely to identify precancerous changes compared to pap smears. Using the same procedure as a pap smear, HPV-DNA testing has higher sensitivity and allows for a longer period of time before repeated screening is necessary.

The World Health Organization updated its cervical cancer prevention guidelines to recommend HPV-DNA testing as the primary screening method every 5-10 years, beginning at the age 30. Similarly, the American Cancer Society’s guidelines for routine cervical cancer screening was updated in 2020 to include HPV-DNA testing, recommending HPV testing every 5 years as the preferred cervical-cancer screening method over pap smears.