HEALTHCARE CRISIS: Cancer patient turns to crowdfunding after Gqeberha hospital’s scanners fail

Livingstone Hospital in Gqeberha, South Africa, was facing a healthcare crisis when two of its CT scanners broke down, leaving patients uncertain about accessing essential diagnostic services. Charmaine van den Berg, a 70-year-old breast cancer patient, was among those impacted. Diagnosed with breast cancer on September 11, she initially received her diagnosis at the hospital.

However, when she returned for a CT scan on October 8 to determine the extent of her cancer, she discovered that the hospital's scanners were not functioning.

Van den Berg, who relies on a social grant, was faced with the costly private CT scan that could set her back R25,000. Unable to afford the payment, she turned to public crowdfunding to secure the necessary funds. Hospital officials confirmed that one of the scanners had been broken for several days, while the other had been out of service for three days.

The CEO of Livingstone Hospital, Tembisa Notshe, stated that the broken scanner would be repaired by November 4. However, the scanner remained out of service by the time Public Protector Kholeka Gcaleka conducted an unannounced visit to the hospital on October 22, accusing the hospital of governance, leadership, and management issues.

During the period when the CT scanner was down, Livingstone Hospital referred about 26 patients for emergency CT scans at private radiology provider Bay Radiology, covering the costs. Hospital officials denied reports of delays in diagnosis or treatment, claiming no adverse patient outcomes, including deaths or permanent disabilities, resulted from the breakdown.

Despite the uncertainty surrounding her treatment, Charmaine van den Berg expressed gratitude for the support she received from the crowdfunding effort and vowed to continue her fight against cancer.