New data from the
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) has emphasised the persistent challenges in accessing essential medications for people living in regional and remote areas, prompting calls for more government action to incentivise GPs to practice in underserved communities.
The AIHW’s latest report reveals a troubling disparity in the rates of prescriptions filled under the
Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) between urban and remote areas. While Australians overall have received a similar number of PBS prescriptions over the last decade, people in remote and very remote areas are accessing medications at significantly lower rates. In 2023, inner regional areas had an average of 15.8 PBS prescriptions per person, compared to just 9.6 in remote areas and 5.7 in very remote areas.
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The disparity is further reflected in PBS spending, with residents in remote areas receiving far less financial support. While the national average for PBS expenditure is $642 per person, those in remote and very remote regions received just $307 and $476, respectively.
Rural health expert Dr Rod Omond, Deputy Chair of the RACGP Rural, believes the data points to a critical issue - the lack of medical practitioners in these areas.
“The more remote you go, the less likely people are to be on their regular preventive and chronic disease medications because they just can’t obtain them,” Dr Omond explained to newsGP. This gap in access contributes to higher rates of preventable conditions, such as heart attacks and strokes, which can lead to premature death.
Dr Omond calls for both state and federal governments to act urgently to address this issue. He suggests providing additional funding and support for GPs, especially in states like Victoria and Queensland, which already offer financial assistance to practitioners in rural areas.
“We need to train more rural GPs, above the existing quota, and the Federal Government must step in to support rural GP training programs, which are currently self-funded,” he added.