The Districts of Lions International in Victoria and Southern New South Wales have identified a distinct need for a mobile skin cancer check and awareness unit to operate across Victoria and, in particular, in remote areas and towns and centres not serviced, or fully serviced, by dermatologists or other skin specialists.

Australia has one of the highest skin cancer rates in the world. This is nothing to be proud of. With our love of the outdoors and our, at times, harsh climate, as a people we are often exposed to the dangers of excessive amounts of ultra violet radiation.

Despite many campaigns and promotions, people remain ambivalent to checking for possible lesions, and attitudes about sun protection and prevention remain mixed – with many people still not taking adequate measures to protect themselves.

Accessibility to skin checks and, in turn, to skin specialists is limited. GP’s with suitable vision magnification tools can help, but this method is not as accurate as the use of a dermoscope by a trained practitioner, and still presumes that people are requesting a check of their skin. People living in regional areas are more at risk, with mortality rates higher in those areas, which can be attributed to a higher proportion of outdoor workers, poor accessibility to dermatologists and inadequate approaches to sun protection.