MPPs vote against legislation to cover a certain prostate test
Niagara Falls MPP Wayne Gates says he's "disappointed" the province has voted against OHIP coverage for a certain prostate test.
Gates has been trying to get the legislature to approve OHIP coverage for prostate specific antigen testing when referred by a doctor.
Eight other provinces cover the test.
"Frankly I’m disappointed, but not surprised - this has consistently been the tone of this government when it comes to public health care," said Gates. "Today, we came forward with an easy solution to this health care issue and they said no. They are clearly more interested in supporting private, out-of-pocket health care delivery. Early detection of prostate cancer is an important prevention tool and its incredibly cruel for this government to not support PSA test coverage."
The bill was initially tabled in 2019, and again in 2020 when it received support from all parties.
In September, Gates re-tabled his private member's bill to extend OHIP coverage of prostate cancer screening under any circumstance.
"We have a crisis in our health care system," said Gates. "We need to look for things that can save money, save resources, relieve some of the pressure on health care workers, and ultimately save lives. It’s clear this government doesn’t care about those goals - they care about expanding health care delivery into private hands."
At the moment, the province will pay for the test if a doctor suspects prostate cancer or if a patient is receiving treatment for the disease.
Currently, the cost of a private PSA test in Ontario is $35.
The motion has received support from the Canadian Cancer Society.
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