Pharmacy numbers grow
October 15, 2015
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.
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