South Africa's first integrated Liver Centre launches in Cape Town and GQ: revolutionising liver care
Dr. Dale Creamer
Image: Supplied
The new LIVER CENTRE SA is a one of its kind
Image: Supplied
South Africa launches first-of-its-kind Liver Centre in Cape Town and Gqeberha, entering a new era of specialised healthcare with the launch of LIVER CENTRE SA, the country’s first fully integrated, multidisciplinary liver care centre.
The pioneering initiative brings together leading experts across multiple disciplines to deliver coordinated, world-class treatment for patients with liver disease marking a significant shift in how complex conditions are managed locally.
With units in both cities, the centre represents the first collaborative liver care model of its kind in the country. It combines hepatobiliary surgery, hepatology, gastroenterology, oncology, transplant surgery and interventional radiology within a single, streamlined framework.
This integrated approach allows patients to move seamlessly from early diagnosis to advanced treatment including complex surgical interventions and liver transplantation under the guidance of internationally recognised specialists. The model is further strengthened by access to advanced technologies across both the public and private healthcare sectors.
LIVER CENTRE SA operates through key partnerships with the University of Cape Town, Groote Schuur Hospital and leading private institutions, bringing together the strengths of South Africa’s healthcare ecosystem. By combining academic research, high clinical volumes and cutting-edge medical innovation, the centre aims to elevate the standard of liver care nationwide.
The Cape Town unit includes hepatobiliary surgeons Prof Marc Bernon, Prof Christo Kloppers and Dr Sanju Sobnach, alongside leading hepatologists Prof Mark Sonderup and Dr Neliswa Gogela.
In Gqeberha, the centre delivers advanced hepatobiliary, oncological and gastroenterological care through specialists Dr Andries Steenkamp, Dr Wanga Mtimkulu, Dr Nimrod Mokhele and Dr Marike Samoo.
Supporting both centres is a highly specialised interventional radiology team from Cape Town Interventional Radiology, including Dr Dale Creamer, Dr Gercois Human, Dr Jateel Kassim and Dr Gary Peiser, widely regarded as a pioneer in the rapidly evolving field of image-guided liver therapy.
Specialists across both cities collaborate through weekly multidisciplinary meetings, where complex cases are reviewed and personalised treatment plans are developed for each patient, a hallmark of leading international liver institutes.
A defining feature of the new centre is the integration of interventional radiology, often referred to as the “fourth pillar” of liver care, alongside surgery, hepatology and oncology.
These minimally invasive, image-guided procedures are transforming treatment options, offering alternatives to major surgery and improving outcomes for patients with complex liver conditions.
In a major milestone for the Eastern Cape, the centre’s team has already successfully introduced several advanced procedures at Netcare Greenacres Hospital, significantly improving access to specialised care in the region.
Among these are the Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt (TIPS), a minimally invasive procedure used to manage complications of liver cirrhosis and portal hypertension, performed for the first time in the Eastern Cape in August 2025.
Also introduced in August 2025 is Transarterial Chemoembolisation (TACE), a targeted therapy for liver cancer that delivers chemotherapy directly to tumours while cutting off their blood supply.
In December 2025, the team further expanded treatment options with the introduction of Transarterial Radioembolisation (TARE), an advanced therapy that uses microscopic radioactive particles to target liver tumours.
These procedures form part of a broader suite of advanced treatments now available through the centre, including liver resections, bile duct reconstruction, complex cancer management, portal hypertension interventions and comprehensive liver transplantation programmes.
Designed to mirror leading global liver institutes, LIVER CENTRE SA ensures that patients in South Africa can now access the same level of specialised care available in top international centres without needing to travel abroad.
With more than 300 hepatobiliary and transplant-related interventions performed annually, alongside high volumes of interventional radiology procedures, the centre already stands as one of the most experienced liver care teams on the continent and positioning itself at the forefront of innovation in liver medicine