Enhancing chronic disease medicine access through public-private collaboration: insights from community pharmacists

Patients with chronic diseases in Malaysia frequently return to public health facilities for their monthly medication supply, contributing to congestion and increased workload. At the same time, community pharmacists remain underutilized due to limited dispensing opportunities. This study explored community pharmacists' perspectives on participating in a public-private partnership model to supply repeat medicines to patients from public health facilities.

A concurrent embedded mixed-methods design was employed, combining a nationwide quantitative survey of 433 community pharmacists with in-depth interviews involving 15 pharmacists from different states. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics, while qualitative interviews underwent thematic analysis.

Most community pharmacists perceived community pharmacy-based repeat medicine supply as beneficial, citing patient convenience in terms of accessibility (96.3%), time saving (95.6%) and reduced travel costs (88.5%). They viewed community pharmacies as suitable service points (94.3%) and supported appropriate remuneration for their services (90.6%). Fewer pharmacists considered potential barriers such as increased workload (44.8%), operating costs (39.8%), or space constraints (43.0%). Strongly endorsed facilitators included timely reimbursement to the pharmacists, clear procedures and guidelines, and structured collaboration with public facilities. A high proportion (88.4%) expressed willingness to participate. Qualitative findings reinforced perceived benefits for patients, community pharmacists, and public health system. Participants highlighted the importance of a clear operational framework, efficient reimbursement systems, and avoidance of previous pitfalls in public-private collaborations. While challenges were noted, pharmacists believed these could be mitigated through proper systems including communication platforms, scheduling mechanisms, and defined formularies.

Overall, community pharmacists demonstrated strong support for participating in repeat medicine supply services. Their motivation stems from patient benefits, professional fulfilment, and commercial sustainability. Realizing this model, however, requires system-level reforms, stakeholder engagement, and robust implementation mechanisms to ensure an effective and sustainable collaboration.