• one of the highest life expectancies at birth of 82 years (2 years above the average)
• top five cancer survival rates
• top five AMI survival rates
• 8.9% health spend on GDP (OECD average: 9.3%)
• top three in rates of obesity – 28.3% (US – 36.5%; Mexico – 32.4%; NZ – 28.4%; UK – 24.8%)
• comparatively high rates of adverse events in hospitals – 8.6 per 100,000 (OECD average – 5)
• pressure on training pipeline, and eventually, health system financing

Medical Observer Summary:

• Use of cholesterol-lowering drugs: 1st, 50% above OECD avg
• Use of antihypertensives: 21st, 30% below OECD average
• Fatality within 30 days of acute MI: 5th lowest, 60% below OECD avg
• Use of antidepressants: 2nd, 59% above OECD avg
• Antibiotic prescribing in primary care: 8th, 17% above OECD avg
• Pharmaceutical expenditure per capita: 9th, 21% above OECD avg
• Remuneration of specialists: 3rd, 4.3 ratio to average wage
• Remuneration of GPs: 18th, 1.7 ratio to average wage

AU Media Release (PDF): Health-at-a-Glance-2013-Press-Release-Australia

OECD Report (PDF): Health-at-a-Glance-2013

Charts (PDF): Health-at-a-Glance-2013-Chart-set

OECD Source: http://www.oecd.org/health/health-systems/health-at-a-glance.htm

SMH (PDF): OECD says Australians take too many pills and must tackle nation’s obesity problem