Free health checks during Ask Your Pharmacist Week

10 November 2009

Jignesh Patel and Divas Joshi

FREE health checks are available at your local chemist and are being promoted as part of Ask Your Pharmacist Week, which started on Monday.

The free checks are for people aged between 40 and 74. These are amongst the many services that pharmacists offer to help local people take care of their health.

Pharmacist Jignesh Patel from Rohpharm, in Plaistow, said: "The role of community pharmacies has changed in recent years from just dispensing prescriptions written by a doctor.

"Now community pharmacies can offer health checks and a wide range of other services.

"Health checks involve the measurement of patients' blood pressure, cholesterol and Body Mass Index (BMI). The health check takes around 20 to 30 minutes and the person will be asked some simple questions about their family history and about any medication they are taking."

For more information on health checks as well as other services available at your community pharmacy visit www.askyourpharmacist.co.uk.