Flagship Cape Town hospital Groote Schuur has been awarded European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) accreditation for its world-class oncology and palliative care teams.
The state hospital, operating under the Western Cape Department of Health & Wellness, received the accreditation at the ESMO Congress in Berlin last week.
The award recognises the hospital’s excellence in providing compassionate, multidisciplinary care to patients with cancer and other life-limiting illnesses.
It also puts the hospital in an exclusive international network of healthcare centres that offer world-class treatment and care for cancer patients.
Groote Schuur is the only hospital in South Africa with the ESMO accreditation, which is valid from 2026 to 2028. There are 284 ESMO-accredited hospitals globally, with Italy having the most (46).
The accreditation process assesses the quality of symptom management, communication, teamwork, education, and research, and affirms that Groote Schuur meets the highest international standards.
Associate Professor Zainab Mohamed, clinical head of the Department of Radiation Oncology at Groote Schuur Hospital, said that the accreditation was a significant milestone for the centre.
“It validates years of teamwork and commitment to ensuring that every patient receives holistic care – treatment that addresses not just the disease, but the person behind it,” she said.
Groote Schuur is one of three central hospitals in the Western Cape and admits more than 50 000 inpatients and treats more than half a million outpatients each year.
Research in the province shows that 16% of hospitalised patients live with a life-limiting condition, representing more than 8 000 patients annually at Groote Schuur who require palliative care support.
In 2023, the hospital’s dedicated palliative care team managed 1 426 new patient consultations, a number that continues to rise as the service expands its reach and capacity.
The Oncology Unit sees about 3 000 new cancer patients annually.
A full clinical oncology service, including medical oncology, radiotherapy, survivorship care and palliative care, are offered by the hospital, which established its multidisciplinary team in 2014, combining palliative care specialists, oncologists, professional nurses, health and rehabilitation workers, administrators, spiritual caregivers, and social workers.
Its palliative care service provides pain and symptom relief, counselling for patients and families, bereavement guidance, and training for healthcare professionals and students across departments. Plans are under way to strengthen bereavement care, expand counselling spaces, and enhance staff training programmes.
The hospital recently upgraded its oncology and chemotherapy facilities and is also launching other new facilities in 2026, including a top-class emergency centre.
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