MAMI Puts Breast Health at the Centre of Women's Month

As South Africa marks Women's Month this August, MAMI (Melrose Arch Mammography) is using the moment to remind women across Johannesburg that looking after their breast health is a practical part of caring for themselves. The centre, based in Melrose Arch, is encouraging women to move breast checks from the "one day" list to something they actually schedule, and it is opening its doors to anyone who wants clear guidance on where to begin.

Women's Month in South Africa is a time when the country reflects on the health, safety and wellbeing of women. For a breast imaging practice, that reflection has a very direct application. Early detection remains one of the most reliable ways to improve outcomes, and it depends on women having access to accurate imaging and feeling comfortable enough to book an appointment. MAMI wants August to be the month when more women take that first step.

A centre built around women's imaging

MAMI is the new face of Parklane Women's Imaging Centre. The practice carries forward the same staff, radiologists and state-of-the-art equipment, now housed in a spacious and easily accessible department in Melrose Arch. The Parklane practice was the first internationally accredited breast imaging unit in Africa, and that heritage continues to shape how the team works today.

At MAMI, patients have access to highly experienced doctors and the latest imaging technology for Mammograms, ultrasound and biopsy. The team strives for medical excellence, but places just as much weight on creating a calm, caring environment. For many women, the barrier to getting checked is not the procedure itself but the anxiety around it, and the practice has built its rooms and its approach around easing exactly that.

Booking a Mammogram at the centre is a straightforward process, and the staff are used to guiding first-time patients through what to expect from start to finish. That reassurance matters, because a woman who knows what will happen is far more likely to return for her next routine check.

Accreditation that stands behind the results

MAMI is the only unit in South Africa to have been awarded the Breast Imaging Center of Excellence designation by the American College of Radiology. The ACR granted that recognition in 2022, following a series of individual accreditations for mammography in 2017, MRI in 2018, stereotactic biopsy in 2020 and breast ultrasound in 2021.

The ACR gold seal represents the highest level of image quality and patient safety. It is awarded only to facilities that meet ACR Practice Parameters and Technical Standards after a peer-review evaluation by board-certified physicians and medical physicists. The review examines image quality, the qualifications of personnel, the adequacy of equipment, and the quality control and quality assurance programmes in place. For a woman deciding where to be scanned, that accreditation is a clear signal that the images her doctor relies on have been produced to an internationally recognised standard.

A full range of breast services

The centre offers more than a single test. Alongside mammography, MAMI provides breast ultrasound, breast biopsies performed under ultrasound or mammographic guidance with local anaesthesia, bone density and body composition scans, and breast cancer scar management massage. It is also the only practice in the country offering cancer cryoablation, a service that reflects its place among the leading breast cancer teams in South Africa.

This breadth means a patient can move from an initial Breast Examination through to any follow-up imaging or procedure within the same accredited unit, guided by radiologists who already know her history. When a biopsy is needed, small samples are taken with a biopsy needle and sent to the pathologist for microscopy and further tests, which help determine whether a lump is a cancer and, if so, what type. Keeping that pathway under one roof reduces both the waiting and the worry that often come with breast investigations.

The practice sees a wide range of patients, from women coming in for their first routine screening to those returning for follow-up after a previous finding. That mix is one reason the team places so much emphasis on continuity of care. When a woman is scanned, assessed and, where needed, biopsied within the same accredited unit, her radiologists build a clear picture of her breast health over time. Comparisons between this year's images and last year's are often what allow a subtle change to be spotted early.

Why the timing matters

Women's Month is a natural prompt, but MAMI is careful to frame breast health as a year-round habit rather than a once-off gesture. Regular screening is most useful when it is consistent, and the practice encourages women to think in terms of an ongoing routine that fits their age, family history and their doctor's guidance. The awareness that August brings is valuable precisely because it can turn intention into a booked appointment.

The team also recognises that women carry a great deal of responsibility for the health of those around them, often at the expense of their own checks. Part of the message this month is simple: caring for your own health is not a luxury, and a scan booked now is one less thing to postpone. By reducing the practical and emotional barriers to getting checked, MAMI hopes to see more women in Johannesburg making breast imaging a settled part of their calendar.

Access is another part of the message. The Melrose Arch location was chosen to be easy to reach, with parking and a welcoming department that does not feel like a hospital corridor. For women who have put off a scan because the experience felt daunting, that setting is designed to make the visit as ordinary and unhurried as any other appointment. The centre would rather a woman arrive with questions than not arrive at all.

Women who want to learn more about the centre and its services can find 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. It offers mammograms, breast ultrasound, breast biopsies, bone density and body composition scans, breast cancer scar management massage, and cancer cryoablation. Led by Diagnostic Radiologist and Managing Director Dr Peter Schoub, the practice is the only unit in South Africa to hold the American College of Radiology Breast Imaging Center of Excellence designation, building on the legacy of the first internationally accredited breast imaging unit in Africa.

Media Contact
MAMI (Melrose Arch Mammography)
Email: info@melrosemammo.co.za
Phone: +27 11 484 3149
Website: https://mammogram.co.za/