An Assessment of Physicians’ Knowledge and Perceptions Towards Medicine Quality and Prices in Kabul, Afghanistan

The survey was conducted with the aim to assess the knowledge and perceptions of physicians towards medicine quality and prices in Kabul City. A total of 400 physicians were approached and 347 (response rate of 86.7%) consented to participate. The majority of the respondents 85.6% recommended that the government should adopt health policies to control the medicine prices and expenditures, and similarly 85.2% agreed that the government must regulate prescription medicine prices. More than half of the respondents 76.3% reported that higher medicine costs negatively affect patient outcomes. Majority of the respondents 84.5% suggested that medicine prices to be made public and similarly 85.6% physicians recommended that all medicine price needs to be disclosed on the dispensed medicine label. Concerning the treatment affordability, 26.3% felt that medicine prices are affordable to their patients. About 60.5% of the physicians shown their concern that medicine price influence their prescribing decision. Therefore, this study suggests that there is substantial room for improvement in the knowledge of physicians about medicine quality and prescription cost. Taking in consideration, these issues effectively may improve the availability, affordability, access of medicines and patients’ adherence to treatment regimens and will improve their health outcomes.