On September 12, the cervical cancer screening programme is set to change. Out will go the old pap smear test, to be replaced with a newer test that checks for the human papillomavirus (HPV), which causes almost all cervical cancers.
This change has been in the works for a while – in fact, it was intended to have happened by now – but the process has been complex and costly. The silver lining is that the wait has provided a chance to review the experience in other countries, such as the UK and Australia, and design a system to work best here.