People living in Australia's regional areas access
cardiovascular disease (CVD) medicines at higher rates than people
in major cities or remote areas, according to a report released
today by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.
The report, Cardiovascular medicines and primary health
care: a regional analysis, looked at the supply of medicines
through the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme and Repatriation
Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS/RPBS) to different Australian
regions.
The report also shows a different pattern in the case of
lipid-lowering (cholesterol-lowering) drugs, with rates of supply
highest in major cities.
'The reasons for these patterns are hard to identify- the
relationships between cardiovascular disease, remoteness, seeing a
doctor, and supply of CVD medicines are complex,' said John Woodall
of the AIHW's Cardiovascular, Diabetes and Kidney Unit.
'One constant we found in our study was that GPs prescribe
cardiovascular medicines in a similar pattern across Australia,
whether they are based in major cities, regional or remote areas,'
he said.
Generally higher rates of supply of CVD medicines in regional
areas reflect the fact that cardiovascular health is poorer outside
major cities, with higher rates of death and hospitalisation from
cardiovascular disease.
But the report also shows that people in major cities were more
likely to visit a GP for a CVD consultation despite having lower
rates of CVD and CVD risk factors.
Indigenous Australians have significantly higher rates of CVD
deaths and hospitalisations than other Australians.
In remote and very remote areas they rely heavily on sources of
CVD medicines additional to the PBS/RPBS, with up to one-third of
CVD medicines supplied by an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander
Health Service.
'Indigenous Australians, who make up a high proportion of the
population in remote and very remote areas, who attend a remote
area Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Health Service, are able
to get medicines from an on-site dispensary at the health service,
without the need for a prescription form and without charge,' Mr
Woodall said.
Over 70 million prescriptions for cardiovascular medicines were
dispensed through the PBS/RPBS to 3.8 million Australians in
2007-08.
Wednesday 17 March 2010
Further information: John Woodall, AIHW, tel.
02 6244 1086, mob. 0407 915 851
For media copies of the report: Publications
Officer, AIHW, tel. (02) 6244 1032.
Cardiovascular medicines and primary health care: a regional
analysis.
Report summaryFull
report