Free health checks in Tipp

The Irish Cancer Society has announced that it will be offering free health checks in The Showgrounds Shopping Centre, Clonmel this week. As part of the ‘Your Health Matters’ Early Detection Roadshow, nurses will administer health checks to the public from 9am – 5.30pm on Wednesday and Thursday 19 and 20, free of charge.

The health check is a free walk-in service. It will include a blood pressure check, body mass index (BMI) and carbon monoxide (CO) reading and information on cancer prevention, screening and ways to help spot the early signs of cancer.

Each health check will take approximately 15 minutes and a referral for a GP can also be arranged where further help is required.

Early detection and diagnosis of cancer is essential to improve health outcomes. When cancer is diagnosed early, it can improve the quality of life of those living with cancer, increase survival and reduce the severity of treatment. Many patients find it difficult to or do not attend GP visits even when they are experiencing potential cancer symptoms. The ‘Your Health Matters’ Roadshow initiative seeks to change this by promoting positive lifestyle changes, increasing awareness of cancer symptoms, and improving medical care-seeking behaviour for the early signs of cancer.

This year the roadshow has been to 17 different locations around the country. To date, over 15,000 people have learned about the importance of early detection, and over 1,100 people have received health checks in 2022. The roadshow will travel to Meath, Westmeath, Donegal, Louth and Dublin over the coming months.