Getting your travel injections and tablets could become easier and cheaper thanks to a controversial pilot project launched last week. The supermarket Sainsbury's is setting up travel clinics within 21 of its stores, allowing shoppers to consult nurses for free and have injections carried out on the spot. As well as offering free consultations, the supermarket claims it will undercut existing travel clinics by around a third.
Last week, we checked some of the supermarket's prices against those in specialist travel clinics and found it was significantly cheaper. A three-injection course of Hepatitis A and B immunisations costs £150 at Sainsbury's, for example, compared with a typical price of £195 at the specialist clinics; a combined diptheria, tetanus and polio injection costs £20 at the supermarket compared with £31; while 12 anti-malaria Malarone tablets costs £27 at the supermarket, compared with £44.
'We will provide an efficient, good value one-stop-shop for people's travel health needs - from a first aid kit to immunisations,' said David Gilder, head of professional services at Sainsbury's.
Sainsbury's is trialling the new clinics in stores within the M25, but if successful will roll them out nationwide. Tesco last week said it had no immediate plans to launch similar clinics, but 'wouldn't rule it out'. However some medical professionals are voicing concerns, arguing travel medical advice is too complicated to be sold alongside baked beans and bananas.
'People often have the impression it's simply a case of looking up a chart and seeing which vaccines are needed,' said Richard Dawood, a specialist in travel medicine at the Fleet Street Travel Clinic. 'But cases can be far more complicated than that, plus we give people advice on how to behave while they're away, what to do when things go wrong and so on. My worry is that travellers will be sold the cheap vaccines, but won't get any health advice, support and follow-up.'
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