TASMANIA is one of 32 areas in Australia where at least one in 10 people has put off seeing a doctor, filling a prescription, or both because of the cost.
The state was also among 14 locations listed in a National Health Performance Authority report in which at least 25 per cent of residents had delayed or avoided seeing a dentist because they could not afford it.
A NHPA report, released today, is the first national attempt to examine how well access to health services aligns with local needs.
The report, for 2011-12, found that where people lived made a big difference to their access to, and use of, medical and dental services.
It also showed the areas where people had poorest average health were not receiving a larger share of health-care services, shorter waiting times for specialist attention or lower cost barriers to visiting a GP, dentist or specialist.
More than half of Tasmanians (52 per cent) were reported to have long-term health conditions in 2011-12.
The report found 27 per cent of Tasmanian adults referred to a specialist in the preceding 12 months felt they had waited longer than acceptable for an appointment. Elsewhere the proportion of people who felt they waited too long ranged from 19 to 35 per cent.
In Tasmania, the number of GP attendances per person was 5.1 a year.
This compared with only 2.4 in the remote Kimberly-Pilbara region of Western Australia or 7.4 in southwestern Sydney.
The average amount spent over those visits in Tasmania was $210.83.
The report is based on Medicare statistics as well as survey data from almost 27,000 Australian adults.
Authority chief executive Diane Watson said the NHPA's website, which allows comparisons to be made between Medicare catchments, was a good starting point to inform the public and make it easier for health leaders to see where improvements could be made.
helen.kempton@news.com.au
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