Aussies need more self care
January 22, 2013
A KEY element in helping
Australians manage their health
lies in actively promoting patient
self care, according to the
Australian Self-Medication Industry
(ASMI).
The comments come in the wake
of ASMI’s Federal Budget
submission issued today which
urges measures to promote greater
innovation in the consumer
medicines sector and to broaden
the take-up of consumer self care.
“Australians already manage or
treat a large proportion of their
ailments without consulting a
doctor,” ASMI said in a statement.
“However, previous research
commissioned by ASMI shows that
seven per cent of all GP
consultations involve the
treatment of common or minor
ailments, many of which could be
managed by a pharmacist, with
significant savings to the health
system.
“Nationally, this translates into
some 25 million GP consultations
annually that involve minor
ailments - that's 96,000
consultations each day,” ASMI
added.
To that end, ASMI’s Budget
submission recommends: the
establishment of an 'Australian
Self-Care Alliance' to build the
evidence base to support policy
decisions in relation to greater self
care, improve health literacy and
identify opportunities for more
cost-effective healthcare delivery.
In addition the submission calls
for the adoption of a Benefit Risk
Regulation Model for
non-prescription medicines to assist
both regulators and manufacturers
to better assess risks and benefits,
to improve risk management, and
to enhance communication to
consumers; as well as the
establishment of a best practice
regulatory scheme through the joint
Australia New Zealand Therapeutic
Products Agency (ANZTPA).
Furthermore, ASMI has called for
the implementation of IP
protection provisions for nonprescription
and complementary
medicines to ensure ongoing
investment in research and
innovation.
Moreover, the submission also
urges steps to encourage
investment in research to build the
evidence-base supporting
complementary medicines and into
increasing access to over-thecounter
(OTC) medicines through
rescheduling.
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