South African palliative care service takes cervical screening into the community

Once a week, South Coast Hospice, a member of the Association of Palliative Care Centres (APCC), parks its mobile clinic alongside a primary healthcare clinic on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast. Inside, women can undergo cervical screening in a private, properly equipped space.

The team knows the consequences of a late diagnosis. They care for women with advanced cervical cancer and see the effect on both patients and their families. At the time of writing, five patients receiving end-of-life care had cervical cancer.

This is one reason South Coast Hospice is committed to helping women access screening sooner.

Primary healthcare clinics in the area carry a heavy patient load. When staff and resources are stretched, screening women who do not have symptoms may be displaced by more immediate needs. The mobile clinic gives these facilities additional screening capacity without taking over their role.

Between April 2025 and March 2026, South Coast Hospice screened 233 women, despite offering the service only one day a week. Almost one in three screenings showed an abnormality.

An abnormal result does not necessarily mean that a woman has cancer, but it does need further investigation. South Coast Hospice contacts the woman, explains the result and refers her to the hospital’s obstetrics and gynaecology clinic for further testing. The team remains available to assist her through the referral process.

Many of the women screened were living with HIV, in keeping with the mandate given to South Coast Hospice by the Department of Health. A key part of the programme is ensuring these women remain connected to the healthcare services they need.

The Victor Daitz Foundation donated the mobile clinic. Over the years, it has also supported HIV services in rural communities, TB and MDR-TB treatment, and COVID-19 screening and vaccination. South Coast Hospice also provides cervical, breast and prostate cancer screening by appointment at its Kingfisher Day Clinic.

South Coast Hospice has worked with the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health for many years. During the HIV/AIDS pandemic, it established a rural home-based care programme for patients who might otherwise have struggled to access support. The cervical screening service continues that long-standing work of taking healthcare to people who may otherwise struggle to reach it.