South Africa’s first breast care centre of excellence in the private sector was established in 2001 by Netcare and Professor Carol-Ann Benn, a renowned specialist surgeon and breast disease specialist, at Netcare Milpark Hospital in Johannesburg.
In April 2017, the Netcare Millpark Breast Care Centre of Excellence was granted a three year, full accreditation by the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC), administered by the American College of Surgeons. The centre received 100% compliance with 29 standards, also during its recent re-accreditation in 2022, and is one of only three breast care centres outside the USA that have been accredited by the NAPBC.
The Netcare Milpark Breast Care Centre of Excellence continues to break new ground internationally. In 2021, the NAPBC identified it as one of the flagship accredited centres of its kind in the world – out of over 650 centres being monitored – and invited the centre to contribute its protocols for the development of an international best practices guideline to help empower other centres across the world to better serve their patients. With 35 or more attending professionals available to give input on patient treatment options, both within their own disciplines and across other disciplines in oncology, the interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary teams at the breast care centre provide breast cancer patients with customised treatments to achieve the best outcomes for each.
The Netcare Milpark Breast Care Centre of Excellence offers:
Rapid first contact with concerned patients through digital support systems.
A full and robust multidisciplinary review of the patient.
Careful selection of the best treatment options for the specific type of breast cancer, based on the international ‘less is more’ approach and taking into consideration each patient’s unique circumstances.
Treatment options include intra-operative radiation, primary endocrine treatment, cryosurgery (minimally invasive freezing of cancers), often replacing the need for traditional surgery in appropriate cases, or breast saving surgery with immediate reconstruction.
Fast, but not rushed, time to primary treatment.
Guidance and assistance by an experienced oncology nurse navigator through all related aspects of diagnosis and treatment to ensure that patients are well cared for throughout their journey and that their individual needs are supported.
Advice and coordinated support to assist patients with financial issues, family and fertility care, psychological and complementary oncology services, as well as traditional medicine and a buddy support system.