Young Australians are paying the price for a health system that doesn't fit their lives

by The Pharmacy Guild of Australia

edited by Swati Mestri, reviewed by Andrew Zinin

Swati Mestri

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Gen Z Australians are increasingly delaying health care, missing work and study, or sometimes going without care because of cost, inconvenience and difficulty accessing a general practitioner (GP). Nearly one in three have taken time off work, study or caregiving responsibilities to see a GP, while one in five delayed care because of cost in the past 12 months.

Faced with these barriers, Gen Z Australians overwhelmingly support trained pharmacists prescribing medications (82%) and trust pharmacists to provide treatment and management for everyday conditions (89%).

The YouGov survey, commissioned by the Pharmacy Guild of Australia, found Gen Z Australians (1997–2009) are among those most affected by difficulties accessing primary health care.

The vice president of the Pharmacy Guild of Australia, Matthew Gillespie, said the results show the traditional health care model does not fit modern life.

"When young Australians are delaying treatment, missing work and study, or avoiding care altogether because they can't access it easily, that's a sign the system needs to evolve," Gillespie said.

"Community pharmacies are supporting this evolution, with pharmacists returning to university so that they can safely and effectively treat and manage a range of everyday health conditions."

The research showed younger Australians are struggling to access care through traditional models: 15% said they have skipped care altogether because they could not afford it, and 16% said their condition has worsened while waiting for an appointment in the past 12 months.

For many young Australians, accessing health care is becoming more difficult, with more than one in four unable to get a GP appointment when they needed one. More than one in four also reported paying more than expected for an appointment.

The research showed Gen Z Australians want health care that fits around their lives. Nearly two in five (39%) said more convenient access to care was a key benefit of pharmacist prescribing, while one in five (20%) valued spending less time away from work.

Gillespie said pharmacist prescribing offered younger Australians another pathway into care.

"Young Australians don't want endless waiting rooms and weeks-long delays for simple treatments for noncomplex conditions.

"They've heard plenty of reasons why health care shouldn't change. But the status quo is leaving too many young Australians waiting longer, paying more and missing out on care altogether.

"Australia's more than 6,000 community pharmacists are ready to be part of the solution."

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Family medicineAllied healthCommon illnesses & Prevention Provided by The Pharmacy Guild of Australia Who's behind this story?

Swati Mestri

Swati Mestri holds a bachelor's degree in Electronics Engineering and has worked as a content editor since 2019. She has experience editing research documents across technology, health care, and materials science, and has a particular interest in technology and space. Full profile →

Andrew Zinin

Master's in physics with research experience. Long-time science news enthusiast. Plays key role in Science X's editorial success. Full profile →

Citation: Young Australians are paying the price for a health system that doesn't fit their lives (2026, November 12) retrieved 13 November 2026 from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-11-young-australians-paying-price-health.html This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.