Pharmacy Practice in Australia

Abstract

INTRODUCTION The Commonwealth of Australia is one of the wealthiest countries in the Western Pacific region, with a population estimated at over 23 million in 2013.1 About 27% of the population were born overseas, predominantly in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, China, and India,2 and 3% of the population are Indigenous Australians.3 Despite the country’s geographic size, Australia’s population is substantially lower than that of other regions of similar size4 because of a large, unin habitable central desert. Australia is divided into 6 states and 2 major mainland territories (Figure 1); in most respects, the 2 territories function as states. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, life expectancy is among the highest in the world and 25 years longer than a century ago. A baby boy born between 2010 and 2012 can expect to live to 79.9 years of age and a baby girl to 84.3 years;3 however, life expectancy for the Indigenous population is 10.6 years less for boys and 9.5 years less for girls. Like most developed nations, Australia has experienced a drop in birth rate and infant mortality. More specifically, infant mortality rates have fallen from 65.7 to 3.3 deaths per 1000 live births over the past 85 years.5,6 Decreased birth rates coupled with increased life expectancy mean that Australia exemplifies global trends, with an expanding older population. This article is the first in the series “International Perspectives on Pharmacy Practice”. For general information about the series, see the article elsewhere in this issue: Raman-Wilms L, Moles RJ. Widening our horizons: pharmacy practice from a global perspective. Can J Hosp Pharm. 2015;68(5):417. WHO Region:The Western Pacific Country: Australia