Sainsburys opens new travel clinics

Getting that travel injection and all those tablets needed for the summer holidays could become a lot easier and less expensive thanks to a new series of clinics set up this past week. The supermarket chain Sainsbury’s has just launched 21 of travel clinics inside its stores, making it possible for shoppers to take advantage of free nurse consultations and receive free travel injections on the spot.

Sainsbury’s is claiming that the costs for injections will run about one-third less than what’s charged by existing travel clinics.

For example, a course of three injections for Hepatitis A and B immunisation costs £150 at Sainsbury’s, as compared with £195, which is the average price charged by travel specialist clinics. Also, a combined diphtheria, polio and tetanus injection runs £20 at the supermarket clinic, as compared with £31 at most travel clinics. Anti-malarial tablets are also good value, with 12 Malarone tablets priced at £27 at Sainsbury’s, compared with £44 elsewhere.

‘We will provide an efficient, good value one-stop-shop for people’s travel health needs – from a first aid kit to immunisations,” commented Sainsbury’s head of professional services, David Gilder.

The supermarket chain has opened these new clinics on a trial basis, within the M25, and if they prove successful will roll out the service across Britain.

When asked last week if it had similar plans, Tesco commented that it did not, but “wouldn’t rule it out.”

Some medical professionals have voiced concerns about these in-store clinics, saying that providing sound medical advice for travellers is more complicated than selling a few tablets.

www.sainsburys.co.uk