Pharmacy Numbers Grow

The Pharmacy Guild has hailed new figures on the numbers and distribution of community pharmacies across Australia, saying they are evidence of “the national public benefit being delivered by the current pharmacy regulatory model”. 

The data shows there are sixty more community pharmacies operating across Australia than at the same time last year.  There are now 5,510 community pharmacies in the country, up from 5,450 twelve months ago, and 891 of them are in rural locations.  The Guild says the figures “paint a picture of a system that is not only growing, but also growing in the right places to meet our national needs”, with coverage of rural areas has been steadily growing over the last decade (see graph).  In fact there are now more pharmacies per person in rural areas than in metropolitan areas.

“The national distribution of community pharmacies is governed by a set of location rules which prevent businesses from clustering in areas that already have an oversupply, and instead ensures new pharmacies are established in areas where there is genuine community demand and need. 

“These rules were designed to ensure equitable access for all Australians to the PBS, regardless of where they live,” the Guild said.  As well as improved rural distribution, the figures serve “to highlight the potential for community pharmacy to play a bigger role in delivering health care to Australians where they most need it,” the Guild added.

Source: pharmacydaily.com.au, Thursday 15 October 2015