A scientist checks a Pap smear at a lab at the Jewish General Hospital in Montreal. (CBC)

Some Quebec women are waiting up to six months for the results of routine Pap tests used to check for early signs of cervical cancer.

The tests used to take several weeks to process, but Dr. Alan Spatz, chief pathologist at the Jewish General Hospital in Montreal, said the wait is now two to six months.

"It's just not acceptable to give a result to a patient who is anxious in six months. We have to improve the situation."

Spatz said Quebec is experiencing a shortage of cytotechnologists, the scientists who analyze Pap smears for abnormal cells.

Montrealer Lili Yip is still waiting for results after having her annual exam in October.

"A six-months delay, if you do have cancer, I think is completely ridiculous," said the mother of two.

New test could speed up results

Spatz is working on a solution that he said could reduce wait times significantly at his hospital.

The Jewish General Hospital is buying a new piece of equipment offered by the American company Qiagen.

The device will analyze cervical samples taken from women for the presence of the human papillomavirus, a common cause of cervical cancer.

'Twenty dollars is not a lot of money to put toward a test to find out whether you are healthy or not.'—Lili Yip, patient

"We are able to give an answer, yes-no, presence or absence of the virus, by 10 working days," he said.

If the test is positive for signs of HPV, a doctor will order a traditional Pap smear.

"We are saving time for 90 per cent of the patients, which is enormous," said Spatz.

The test will be offered beginning in February at the Jewish General Hospital. Patients who want the speedier results will have to pay $20. Yip said she would pay the extra cost.

"Twenty dollars is not a lot of money to put toward a test to find out whether you are healthy or not," said Yip.

Spatz also encouraged the provincial government to hire more cytotechnologists from France. The two governments recently signed an agreement to make it easier for medical professionals to work in either jurisdiction.