Press Release: State-of-the-art mobile mammography and sonar unit back in George

24 March 2021

After a successful initiative in September last year, the Keystone Medical Group is returning to George to offer female residents out-of-hospital mammography and sonar services via its state-of-the-art Mobile Mammogram Unit. Radiologist, Dr Pieter Henning, says due to the high levels of demand for this particular service offering, Keystone will be back in the Garden Route town from the beginning of April.

‘During our previous visit we were inundated with bookings by female patients from George and surrounding areas. We, therefore, wanted to offer everyone the opportunity to make use of our unique facility or to return for follow-up visits. From Tuesday, 6 April to Friday, 30 April, the mobile unit will be stationed at the NG Moeder Gemeente in George, where both mammography and breast ultrasound studies will be available as part of our continuous fight against breast cancer.  Here we offer world-class breast cancer screening services, performed by highly qualified professional female staff,’ he says.

The mobile breast cancer screening unit is the only one of its kind in South Africa, aiming to make Mammographic screening accessible to all women, both private and medical aid patients.

‘With private changing rooms and modern, comfortable facilities, we make it as convenient as possible for our patients. Patients have one-on-one sessions with our professional medical staff and provide immediate results. Patients also have direct interaction with the reporting radiologist,’ Henning says.

Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers amongst women in South Africa and almost 1 in every 25 women are likely to be diagnosed in their lifetime. Henning says the drop in screenings this year is of particular concern, given the fact that breast cancer still annually claims the lives of more woman than viral infections such as COVID-19.

‘We firmly believe that regular screening can increase early detection, which in turn will help lead to a faster diagnosis, resulting in improved treatment outcomes. The fact that fewer women are being screened and tested are therefore very worrying as many women are at risk of being diagnosed with breast cancer, particularly those with a family history,’ he says.

Henning says the mobile unit’s deployment to George is in many ways answering the area’s growing demand for alternative health care options and the KSM Group’s commitment to deliver quality healthcare services to communities.

 ‘We are a modern and innovative radiology service provider, and we pride ourselves in the quality of our service delivery and diagnostic reporting. Taking a proactive approach to healthcare has become a new priority for many people. Early detection and accurate diagnosis of an underlying problem do not only help to avoid individuals losing the quality of life by living with unnecessary pain, save time and money, but could easily become the determining factor when dealing with a life-threatening disease.’

Meanwhile, Henning says they will also use the George Mobile Unit deployment to strengthen the roll-out of the #ScreenHerSaveHer campaign, which encourages women to join the movement, pledge to go for annual breast cancer screenings and also encourage a friend, family member or neighbour to do the same. He says over the course of the next few weeks they will announce more information around this worthy cause.

Members of the public who would like to book a session in George can click here to book an appointment: https://calendly.com/ks-med/breast-cancer-screening-george-2021 or call 087 055 0587 (Option 8).