Pharmacy Practice in Malaysia

Background The pharmacists’ roles have been expanding around the globe in the recent years. In Malaysia, healthcare system is a two-tier system consisting of the public and private sectors. Pharmacy service in Malaysia came into existence in 1951 with the enactment of three main legislations governing its profession, namely, the Registration of Pharmacist Act 1951, Poison Act 1952 and Dangerous Drug Act 1952. However, the absence of dispensing right has limited the community pharmacists’ professional roles to deliver pharmaceutical care, optimise their clinical knowledge and utilise their skill. Aims To describe the overview of pharmacy practice in Malaysia, by discussing on the history, challenges and future of this profession. Methods Electronic databases MEDLINE and PUBMED were searched for articles published in English. The keywords community pharmacy, pharmacy practice, Malaysia and pharmaceutical care were used with each database. The articles were independently identified by each researcher. Results A total of 8 full papers and 9 government reports were retrieved and critically summarised for this review. Conclusions There is a need of transformation to bring improvement in pharmacy practice. Besides the policy makers, community pharmacists play a pivotal role to transform the current practice to a more comprehensive, clinically inclined and quality practice.