In photo: Western Cape Minister of Health, Dr Nomafrench Mbombo (middle) received a tour of the new facility

Cancer patients in the Western Cape will now wait less than four weeks to receive treatment thanks to a new linear accelerator (Linac) machine recently acquired by the Department of Radiation Oncology at Groote Schuur Hospital and the University of Cape Town. The reduced times will enable efficient and increased treatment to more than 1500 patients in need of radiotherapy for curative or palliative purposes.  

The new radiation treatment unit, which includes a newly acquired CT simulator, took three years to complete. Western Cape Minister of Health, Dr Nomafrench Mbombo, celebrated the new technology calling it a triumph for citizen’s rights to access quality health care. In addition to conventional radiotherapy, the Linac delivers targeted radiosurgery for a variety of malignant and benign conditions. Through a sophisticated treatment technique, it allows accurate dose delivery to the tumour or tumour bed, whilst sparing surrounding normal tissue. This improves tumour control rates while limiting the side effects of radiotherapy.

As Groote Schuur Hospital is also a regional referral centre for children, the new bunker was intentionally designed with them in mind. There is a special play area for children and a waiting area for adolescents. Head of Radiation Oncology, Professor Jeannette Parkes said it was imperative for the team to cater to the needs of adolescents who are often neglected in radiotherapy infrastructure planning.

The recently concluded Olympics provided a fitting metaphor to describe the journey to the new treatment unit. Assistant Director of Radiotherapy Services Mrs Lindsay Jafta said it was a team effort that required sustained perseverance and cooperation. While the Head of Medical Physics, Ms Hester Burger said the process felt like “the longest 400m race” due to the many obstacles they had to overcome.

In photo: Colourful play area for children waiting to receive treatment