NEWS |
TO KEEP UP WITH POPULATION AGEING Disease burden greatly impacts on healthcare regulation and economic challenge
AUSTRALIAÕ S REGULATIONS STRUGGLE
healthcare market is driven by universal healthcare coverage and good access to facilities such as government-subsidised medicines. However, the growing elderly population and its associated disease burden are set to challenge AustraliaÕs ability to maintain this level of care. Medicare offers universal access to health
A
care and covers the entire population through programmes such as the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS), the Australian Childhood Immunization Register, and the Australian Organ Donor Register. Medicare ensures access to free or low-cost medical and hospital care, and a government subsidy for drugs dispensed under PBS is available. However, the government is implementing
major PBS reforms in order to reduce its healthcare expenditure; such reforms include a payment of $1.40 to pharmacies for substitutable and premium-free PBS-subsidised drugs, introduced in July 2010. Australia boasted a population of
approximately 22.4 million in 2010, and the population aged 65 years and older is projected to account for approximately 18.3% by 2020.
GROWING ELDERLY
population and its disease burden add to the economic challenge faced by the Australian government, says a report by GlobalData.
The report states that the Australian
This is owing to a longer life expectancy, improved healthcare facilities, and strong financial and healthcare support from the government. As the elderly population increases, so too does the Australian government's cost burden, which is due to overwhelm state finances in the future. Despite these problems, the rapidly growing
elderly population and increased awareness of chronic diseases in Australia guarantee that the countryÕs well-defined regulatory guidelines and increasing pharmaceutical R&D expenditure will lead to strong growth in the medical care and diagnostic markets.
CORTISONE INJECTIONS CAN LEAD TO NECROSIS
Injections of corticoid preparations can have severe side-effects. In a recent issue of Deutsches Arzteblatt International, Christian Holland and co-authors contribute to physicians' awareness of problems of this type with a report on the relevant findings of medicolegal expert committees in Germany. One patient, for
example, received multiple intramuscular injections
of dexamethasone and 10 ❚
diclofenac for the treatment of back pain. Six weeks after the last injection, 500 g of necrotic tissue had to be surgically removed from the site of the injections; a subsequent wound infection led to further multiple hospitalisations. The authors describe both aseptic and septic complications, including abscesses and purulent joint infections. When they affect the spine, such complications can cause weakness of varying
July/August 2012 |
prime-journal.com
degrees of severity, ranging all the way to para- or tetraplegia. Fatal sepsis can also occur. From 2005 to 2009, the German medicolegal expert committees and arbitration panels dealt with 278 cases of complications after corticoid injections. Medical errors were found to have been committed in 40% of cases. Typical errors were faulty asepsis, treatment without indication, and injections that were too
closely spaced in time, or in excessive doses. Furthermore, whenever it is determined that a patient has not given legally valid informed consent for an injection, the physician is liable for any and all adverse consequences of the injection for the patient's health. By giving physician
readers the appropriate knowledge base, the article is intended to help them avoid such difficult medicolegal situations.
Australia has a transparent and efficient
regulatory system to facilitate the approval of pharmaceutical products and medical devices. Market authorisation of a new drug or medical device requires the execution of good laboratory practice and compliance with Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) standards. Therefore, AustraliaÕs growing elderly population may serve a purpose in fuelling medical discoveries. The pharmaceutical market in Australia was
valued at approximately $14.9 billion in 2010 and is projected to reach approximately $30.5 billion in 2020, at a CAGR of 7.4%.
Corrigendum
Facial aesthetics for males: a focus on minimally-invasive procedures. PRIME 2012; 2(4): 16–27
An editorial error occured on page 18 of this article. The article states that 'one unit of Dysport translates into 2–3 units of Botox'. In fact, this should read that 1 unit of Botox translates to 2–3 units of Dysport. We apologise for any confusion caused.
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