MAMI Champions Breast Care During National Women's Month

Every August, when South Africa turns its attention to Women's Month, MAMI (Melrose Arch Mammography) sees an opening to make a simple point: tending to your breast health belongs alongside every other form of self-care. Operating out of Melrose Arch, the centre wants women across Johannesburg to stop filing breast checks under "someday" and instead put a date in the diary, and it is inviting anyone unsure of where to start to come in for clear direction.

Across the country, Women's Month prompts conversations about the health, safety and wellbeing of women. For a breast imaging practice, that theme lands close to home. Catching problems early is still one of the surest routes to better outcomes, and it hinges on women being able to reach accurate imaging and feeling at ease enough to book. MAMI is determined to make August the month that turns intention into action for more women.

A centre built around women's imaging

MAMI is what Parklane Women's Imaging Centre has become. The same staff, the same radiologists and the same state-of-the-art equipment remain in place, now settled into a roomy, easy-to-reach department in Melrose Arch. Parklane held the distinction of being Africa's first internationally accredited breast imaging unit, and that legacy still guides how the team operates.

Patients at MAMI are seen by highly experienced doctors and scanned on the latest imaging technology for Mammograms, ultrasound and biopsy. Medical excellence is the goal, yet the team gives equal attention to keeping the environment calm and caring. For plenty of women, what holds them back is not the scan but the worry surrounding it, and the practice has designed both its rooms and its manner to soften precisely that.

Arranging a Mammogram here is uncomplicated, and the staff are well practised at walking first-time patients through each step of what lies ahead. That kind of reassurance counts, because a woman who understands the process is much more likely to come back for her next routine appointment.

Accreditation that stands behind the results

No other unit in South Africa holds the Breast Imaging Center of Excellence designation from the American College of Radiology, and MAMI does. The ACR conferred it in 2022, on the back of a string of individual accreditations: mammography in 2017, MRI in 2018, stereotactic biopsy in 2020 and breast ultrasound in 2021.

That ACR gold seal stands for the top tier of image quality and patient safety. Facilities earn it only after a peer-review evaluation by board-certified physicians and medical physicists confirms they satisfy ACR Practice Parameters and Technical Standards. The assessment looks at image quality, staff qualifications, whether the equipment measures up, and the quality control and quality assurance programmes running behind the scenes. For any woman weighing up where to be scanned, that accreditation is plain proof that the images her doctor depends on meet an internationally recognised benchmark.

A full range of breast services

A single test is only part of what the centre provides. Beyond mammography, MAMI offers breast ultrasound, breast biopsies carried out under ultrasound or mammographic guidance with local anaesthesia, bone density and body composition scans, and breast cancer scar management massage. It stands alone in the country as the only practice offering cancer cryoablation, a distinction that underlines its standing among South Africa's foremost breast cancer teams.

Because of that range, a patient can travel from a first Breast Examination all the way to any subsequent imaging or procedure inside one accredited unit, overseen by radiologists already familiar with her history. Should a biopsy be required, small samples are drawn with a biopsy needle and forwarded to the pathologist for microscopy and further testing, which reveal whether a lump is cancerous and, if it is, what type. Holding that whole pathway in one place trims both the delay and the anxiety that so often accompany breast investigations.

The centre's patients span a broad spectrum, from women attending their very first routine screening to those coming back for follow-up after an earlier finding. That variety is precisely why the team leans so heavily on continuity of care. When a woman is scanned, assessed and, if necessary, biopsied within a single accredited unit, her radiologists develop a detailed sense of her breast health as the years pass. It is frequently the comparison between this year's images and last year's that lets a subtle change surface early.

Why the timing matters

Women's Month serves as a useful nudge, yet MAMI is deliberate about presenting breast health as a year-round habit rather than a single gesture. Screening delivers the most value when it stays consistent, and the practice urges women to picture it as an ongoing rhythm shaped by their age, family history and their doctor's advice. The awareness August generates is worthwhile for one reason above all: it can convert a good intention into a confirmed appointment.

The team is also mindful that women shoulder so much of the responsibility for the health of those around them, frequently letting their own checks slide. The message this month is uncomplicated: looking after your own health is no indulgence, and a scan booked today is one fewer thing left hanging. By lowering both the practical and emotional hurdles to getting checked, MAMI is hoping to see more Johannesburg women fold breast imaging into their calendar for good.

Ease of access forms part of that message too. Melrose Arch was picked as a location that is simple to get to, with parking and a welcoming department that carries none of the feel of a hospital corridor. For women who have delayed a scan because it seemed intimidating, that atmosphere is meant to render the visit as routine and relaxed as any other appointment. The centre would far rather a woman turn up full of questions than stay away entirely.

Anyone wanting to explore the centre and everything it offers will find the full details on the MAMI website at https://mammogram.co.za/.

About MAMI (Melrose Arch Mammography)

MAMI (Melrose Arch Mammography) is a dedicated breast imaging centre in Melrose Arch, Johannesburg, and the new face of Parklane Women's Imaging Centre. Its services include mammograms, breast ultrasound, breast biopsies, bone density and body composition scans, breast cancer scar management massage, and cancer cryoablation. Under the leadership of Diagnostic Radiologist and Managing Director Dr Peter Schoub, it remains the only unit in South Africa awarded the American College of Radiology Breast Imaging Center of Excellence designation, extending the legacy of Africa's first internationally accredited breast imaging unit.

Media Contact

MAMI (Melrose Arch Mammography)Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.Phone: +27 11 484 3149Website: https://mammogram.co.za/