Introduction

Medicine price transparency initiatives provide public or government on information about the product's prices and the components that may influence the prices, such as volume and product quality. In Malaysia, medicine price transparency has become part of the government's strategies in ensuring adequate, continuous and equitable access to quality, safe, effective and affordable medicines. Since the effect of medicine price transparency depend critically on how prices are presented, this study aims to evaluate the stakeholders' perspective of medicine price transparency practice in the private healthcare system in Malaysia.

Methods

This study was conducted as face-to-face, semi-structured interview. Respondents from private pharmaceutical industries, community pharmacists, general practitioners, private hospital pharmacists, governments, academicians and senior pharmacist were recruited using purposive sampling. Using phenomenological study approach, interviews were conducted, and audio recorded with their consent. Data were transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic analysis with Atlas.ti 8 software and categorised as strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT).

Results

A total of 28 respondents were interviewed. There was a mixed perception regarding the price transparency implementation in Malaysia's private healthcare settings. The potential strengths include it will provide price standardization, reduce price manipulation and competition, hence allowing the industry players to focus more on patient-care services. Moreover, the private stakeholders were concerned that the practice may affect stakeholders' business and marketing strategy, reduce profit margin, increase general practitioner's consultation fees and causing impact on geographical discrepancies. The practice was viewed as an opportunity to disseminate the truth price information to consumer and strengthen collaboration between healthcare industries and Ministry of Health although this may become a threat that affect the business survival.

Conclusion

Price transparency initiatives would benefit the pharmaceutical industries, consumer and countries, but it needs to be implemented appropriately to prevent price manipulation, market monopoly, and business closure. Future study may want to evaluate the impact of the initiatives on the business in the industry.

中文翻译：

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卫生和行业多方利益相关者对马来西亚私人医疗保健机构药品价格透明度倡议的看法。

 介绍

药品价格透明度举措向公众或政府提供有关产品价格以及可能影响价格的成分（例如数量和产品质量）的信息。在马来西亚，药品价格透明度已成为政府确保充分、持续和公平地获得优质、安全、有效和负担得起的药品的战略的一部分。由于药品价格透明度的效果主要取决于价格的呈现方式，本研究旨在评估利益相关者对马来西亚私人医疗保健系统中药品价格透明度实践的看法。

 方法

这项研究以面对面的半结构化访谈形式进行。采用立意抽样的方式招募了来自私营制药行业、社区药剂师、全科医生、私营医院药剂师、政府、院士和高级药剂师的受访者。使用现象学研究方法进行访谈，并在征得他们同意的情况下录制音频。数据逐字转录并使用 Atlas.ti 8 软件进行主题分析进行分析，并按优势、劣势、机会和威胁 (SWOT) 进行分类。

 结果

共有 28 名受访者接受了采访。对于马来西亚私人医疗机构中价格透明度的实施，人们的看法不一。潜在的优势包括它将提供价格标准化，减少价格操纵和竞争，从而使行业参与者更多地关注患者护理服务。此外，私人利益相关者担心这种做法可能会影响利益相关者的业务和营销策略，降低利润率，增加全科医生的咨询费并造成地域差异的影响。这种做法被视为向消费者传播真实价格信息并加强医疗保健行业与卫生部之间合作的机会，尽管这可能会成为影响企业生存的威胁。

 结论

价格透明举措将使制药行业、消费者和国家受益，但需要适当实施，以防止价格操纵、市场垄断和企业倒闭。未来的研究可能希望评估这些举措对行业业务的影响。