Abstract
The objective of this study was to assess the challenges faced by retail pharmacists in managing a retail pharmacy in Penang, Malaysia. A questionnaire-based cross sectional postal survey was conducted whereby all registered retail pharmacies in Penang were included in the study. The data were abstracted by SPSS v. 18.0 and both descriptive and inferential statistics were used accordingly. Seventy-three pharmacists responded to the survey with a response rate of 37.2%. Statistically significant associations were noted between working experience and issues related to price war in Penang (p = 0.004, ϕc = 0.451). In addition, working experience was again significantly associated with inconsistent bonus schemes for buying pharmaceutical products (p = 0.031, ϕc = 0.401). No associations, however, were reported among other questions and demographic variables. The results of this study indicate that retail pharmacists in Penang perceive pharmaceutical ‘price war’ and inconsistent bonuses scheme for procurement of pharmaceutical products as a major challenge. We therefore suggest medicine price regulation and strict monitoring to curtail unhealthy practices within the retail pharmacy business of Penang, Malaysia.
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