The Rural Doctors Association of Australia is questioning whether Woolworths could potentially be liable if customers are “falsely reassured” of a clean bill of health through one of its proposed health checks.
The supermarket giant has confirmed it’s hiring pharmacy students, graduating pharmacists and nurses to conduct in-store health checks on blood pressure and cholesterol.
Association President, Tamworth-based Dr Ian Kamerman, says the plan could actually deter people from seeking genuine medical advice if cleared via a basic checkout.
He’s advising people to steer clear of getting health checks in supermarkets.
“One wonders what happens if someone has a heart attack or stroke the very next day after getting the all clear from Woolworths,” he said.
“The worry is that if people get falsely reassured and they just choose not to see a Doctor to actually follow up on niggling concerns they’ve got.
“People should be seeing a proper health professional in a proper health clinic rather than this mass screening.”
There’s concerns the health checks might be counter productive to the community’s overall health.
“The actual mechanics of doing a blood pressure check is quite simple and the task of actually doing a blood cholesterol check is also quite simple,” Dr Kamerman said.
“But it’s the interpretation and the meaning for the patient that is the highly critical thing and that’s not what Woolworths are doing.”