22 October 2026
The Western Cape health department says it currently has no plans to offer specialised services such as dialysis and chemotherapy in Beaufort West. This means patients have to travel hours to the nearest treatment centres. Archive photo of a hospital: Barry Christianson
Three times every week, Phoebe Stephenson must travel almost five hours to the nearest dialysis treatment centre nearly 300kms away in George. This is because there are no public or private outpatient dialysis treatment services where she lives in Beaufort West.
Stephenson was diagnosed with a chronic kidney disease in April 2025, which requires her to get dialysis at the George National Renal Care centre. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, she and seven other patients from Beaufort West are transported to George by HealthNet, a patient transport service run by the Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness.
Stephenson said the weekly trips are exhausting. “It’s five hours to the hospital. Then I have four hours of dialysis … Then I must still sit in a vehicle for another five hours to go back home.”
Stephenson said some of the patients she travels with are receiving chemotherapy and they have to arrange overnight stays because they cannot sit through the five-hour drive back to Beaufort West.
Stephenson’s husband, Juan, who has accompanied her, told GroundUp, “I have personally witnessed the exhaustion of the dialysis patients and it is not good. Something must be done urgently to resolve this terrible situation.”
He said he worries more on days when he is not allowed to accompany his wife.
“I used to travel with my wife as an escort because of complications she picks up after dialysis, but that was stopped by the transport supervisor.”
He said his wife had to be admitted to a hospital in Mossel Bay after her dialysis treatment on 12 October. “She was alone; no paperwork could be done. They admitted her and stabilised her but nothing further until I managed to get to Mossel Bay the next day.”
According to the provincial health department, the district hospital in Beaufort West currently does not offer dialysis services, and “there are no immediate plans to introduce these services at the hospital”.
“The department empathises with patients from Beaufort West who need to travel longer distances to access dialysis services. We understand the additional burden on patients and their families, particularly those who require regular, ongoing treatment,” said department spokesperson Nadia Ferreira.
She said specialised treatments like dialysis are offered at tertiary hospitals. “The same goes for any other specialist treatment provided. An appointment will be made at these hospitals and transport provided via HealthNet.”
Ferreira said the department was open to exploring partnerships with private facilities to improve access to services.
Between 1 January and 30 September 2026, the Central Karoo division transported 962 patients to George. Of these, five patients required regular transportation to George three times per week for dialysis treatment, according to the health department.