A lawyer in Victoria goes before B.C.'s human rights tribunal on Monday, arguing the provincial Ministry of Health is discriminating against him on the basis of sex because it won't pay for his prostate cancer screening test.

Laurie Armstrong claims the $30 fee he has to pay for a PSA test is discriminatory since women don't have to pay for a Pap smear or a mammogram.

Currently, the standard test for prostate cancer is a rectal exam at a doctor's office. Organizations such as the Vancouver Island Prostate Cancer Research Foundation say a simple blood test is a more accurate method for early detection.

The test is rarely ordered, said the foundation's chair, David Durksen.

"For breast cancer, virtually everything is covered," said Durksen. "Whereas with prostate cancer, if you're showing a high count of prostate-specific antigens, then men are often required to pay for the test."

Although prostate cancer treatment is covered by the health-care system, treatments for side-effects such as urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction are not, Durksen said.

Breast cancer patients do not face such barriers, he said.

The group hopes the tribunal will order the Ministry of Health to start paying for the early detection test for all men over the age of 40.