Konica Minolta Medical South Africa (KMMSA) has joined parent company, the Bidvest Group, in pledging its on-going support to the PinkDrive’s initiative to bring the early detection of breast cancer to all South African women.
Earlier this year, PinkDrive unveiled South Africa’s first mobile women’s health unit; a fourteen-ton truck, described as a “doctor’s room on wheels”, the unit boasts a gynaecology area for pap smears and examinations, a reception area for administration and a radiology area.
The unit is able to address both cervical and breast cancer, the two most prevalent female cancers, with qualified mammographers and fully trained nurses soon to be joined by cervical cancer specialists.
These additional services will remain free to all uninsured women at community health centres and secondary hospitals associated with local academic hospitals.
The non-profit organisation currently runs two “Pink” mobile breast check units, and three educational cars. Both units travel to semi-urban and urban areas around the country, with the aim of providing disadvantaged communities with access to physical examinations, as well as education in the form of breast self-examination.
KMMSA has kitted out the new PinkDrive mobile unit with state-of-the-art equipment needed to make these free mobile breast cancer screenings digitally compatible; including a high performance, high resolution computed radiography (CR) unit for mammography imaging, a bizhub colour multifunctional printer for the printing of images and RamSoft imaging workflow technology for the immediate quality control of images and their distribution to radiologists for diagnostic reporting.
KMMSA also upgraded the first Mammography unit by installing a Ramsoft Mammo Gateway Viewer; this allows both units to connect to the PowerServer PACS that is installed in the cloud.
“KMMSA has been privileged to be part of this fantastic initiative, doing our part in helping PinkDrive to promote the early detection and diagnosis of breast cancer as well as good health to those local communities that really need it,” explains Juneid Docrat, KMMSA general manager.
“The fact that these units are furnished with the latest and greatest in high definition mammography equipment is of great benefit to these patients as it provides services to them that they may not otherwise be able to access, supporting the PinkDrive’s mantra of ‘early detection saves lives’.”
To date, PinkDrive has provided over 6,000 free mammograms, completed more than 60,000 clinical breast examinations in community areas and educated more than 104 000 women.
Says Noelene Kotschan, PinkDrive founder and director: “We cannot allow South African women to die from preventable ailments such as breast cancer, a disease that can be successfully treated if detected early. It is through the goodwill of willing corporate businesses, especially Bidvest and KMMSA, as well as citizens, that PinkDrive is able to help government touch as many citizens as possible, giving back to our country and our communities.”