Column Finance and the Social Security System 2019.01.25
【Aging, safety net and fiscal crisis in Japan】No.150: Too many dispensing pharmacies
As mentioned in Column No. 121, the number of pharmacists has been increasing and the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare estimates that there will be an oversupply by 2028. As shown in Figure 1, the number of dispensing pharmacies has also increased, outnumbering convenience stores and post offices.
This is supported by the policy that shifts financial resources to dispensing expenditures at pharmacies through medical reimbursement revisions. As shown in Table 1, the ratio of dispensing expenditures at pharmacies to national medical care expenditures rose from 13.5% in 2005 to 18.0% in 2016. However, most dispensing pharmacies are small stores and it is difficult to determine whether they sufficiently play a role in medication guidance for patients. Therefore, it is expected that the number of dispensing pharmacies will be reduced in the near future.
Figure 1: Number of dispensing pharmacies, convenience stores, and post offices
Source: Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare; Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry; and Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications
Table 1: Dispensing expenditures at pharmacies (billion yen)
Source: Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare