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

A few months after celebrating her 70th birthday, Charmaine van den Berg’s world was turned upside down when she was diagnosed with breast cancer on 11 September – a month before South Africa observed Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

“I never thought of cancer. Not once. There was never a history of cancer on my mother’s side of the family. I cannot say the same about my father’s family because I do not have that knowledge,” said Van den Berg.

Her diagnosis was the beginning of a difficult journey through the Eastern Cape public healthcare system that struggles at times to provide access to essential diagnostic services.

When Van den Berg returned to Livingstone Hospital in Gqeberha on 8 October for a CT scan to establish the extent of her cancer, she was told that the hospital’s scanners were not working.

She had discovered a lump in her breast on 16 August. By the time she received the diagnosis, she said, she had begun preparing herself for the possibility of cancer.

“I was a little bit prepared for it,” said Van den Berg, who relies on a social grant.

“I remember the doctor walking out with me, holding me. I remember getting tears in my eyes and not wanting the people who were sitting there to see the tears. So I just put the file down and walked out.”

CT scanner broken

What should have been a relatively straightforward process to establish the extent of the cancer through a CT scan became a drawn-out ordeal.

When she arrived at Livingstone Hospital on 8 October, she was directed to the CT scanner in the casualty department, only to be told it was not working. A nurse then accompanied her to the hospital’s main scanner.

“And when I got to the main one, there were a lot of people sitting there who had been rebooked. I came in there afterwards, so I was thinking my date is also going to be later than theirs.

“I was told that the main one had been broken for some time, and the other for three days. They [didn’t] know when it [would] be repaired,” she said.

CT scans are an important part of cancer diagnosis and treatment planning, helping oncologists establish the extent of the disease and determine the appropriate treatment.

Technical fault

Livingstone Hospital CEO Tembisa Notshe confirmed that the emergency department’s CT scanner broke down on 5 October due to a technical fault that required manufacturer support and component replacement. Notshe said the scanner was returned to service on 4 November.

“Due to the complexity of the breakdown, some of the failed components could only be identified after replacement of other faulty components. These components had to be sourced from overseas,” said Notshe.

Asked how many CT scanners Livingstone Hospital had and how many were operational, Notshe said it had two, of which one was functional. The hospital’s older oncology CT scanner, used for radiotherapy planning, is also nearing the end of its serviceable life.

The scanner was still out of service when Public Protector Kholeka Gcaleka made an unannounced visit to Livingstone Hospital on 22 October. Following the visit, Gcaleka said the tertiary facility had “a serious problem of governance, leadership and management”.

Patients referred to private practice

While the CT scanner was out of service, Livingstone Hospital referred about 26 patients for emergency CT scans at private radiology provider Bay Radiology, with the hospital covering the costs.

Notshe said arrangements with Bay Radiology were made immediately when it became clear that the scanner could not be repaired quickly.

She disputed that patients had experienced delays in diagnosis or treatment because of the breakdown. She said the hospital had recorded no adverse patient outcomes, including deaths or permanent disabilities, linked to delays in accessing CT imaging.

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‘I refuse to let cancer win’

Concerned that neither of the scanners at Livingstone Hospital was available when she needed her scan, Van den Berg’s family turned to crowdfunding.

Without medical aid, she said, a private CT scan could cost as much as R25,000.

“I mean, if you’re getting a Sassa [SA Social Security Agency] grant, it will take you a lifetime to pay that off,” she said. “Through generous donors, we managed to secure enough funds to make a commitment and pay the R7,000 deposit so that I could have the CT scan done privately.”

While she was grateful for her access to private healthcare, Van den Berg voiced concern for those reliant on public facilities after learning that at least eight patients at Livingstone Hospital were in critical condition.

“Even after I had my CT scan, I was thinking of those patients that needed it. Because [the cancer] can spread to your bones, your liver, your kidneys, brain ... and now you can’t wait to have that CT scan,” she said.

She said the Eastern Cape Department of Health “and the hospital need to get their administration right. They need to do things right. They are not doing people a favour.”

Despite the uncertainty surrounding her diagnosis and treatment, Van den Berg, who recently underwent her first round of chemotherapy, said she refused to let cancer win.

“I had chemo last week Monday,” she said. “The weekend before that, I had my grandkids shave my hair off because I thought I’m not going to let cancer beat me. I want to be at war with cancer, and now I have no side effects whatsoever.”

She said, however, that her diagnosis had placed considerable pressure on her family, particularly her children.

A donation and a backup scanner

Notshe confirmed that the FNB Foundation offered to donate CT scanners to the Eastern Cape Department of Health in March 2025. The hospital initially requested a radiotherapy planning CT simulator.

However, by the time the foundation was ready to purchase it, the department had already awarded a contract for a similar machine. The foundation then reopened the donation process, ultimately redirecting the equipment to benefit Livingstone Tertiary Hospital’s Port Elizabeth Provincial Hospital-based services.

Notshe said the manufacturer of the emergency CT scanner had accepted responsibility for the breakdown and committed to supplying the hospital with a new mobile CT scanner within three months, at no cost to the facility. DM

Daily Maverick pursued this story following an email to our tip-off line.