Doctors warn over mobile clinics offering on-the-spot health checks

SELF-STYLED mobile clinics offering a range of on-the-spot health checks come without sterilising equipment and pose a health hazard to the unsuspecting public, doctors have warned.

The problem of unregulated “caravans pulling into town” offering tests for cholesterol, diabetes and anaemia was raised yesterday by doctors attending the AGM of the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) in Killarney, Co Kerry.

During a debate calling for the regulation of alternative/complementary medicine, Dr Oliver Whyte said that he had read a book recently called Suckers, describing how people were spending fortunes on unproven alternative treatments, some of which put patients at risk.