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Background Around the globe, community pharmacy has always been a health care hub made accessible to the public. Aim This study was conducted to evaluate consumers' perceptions towards the role of the pharmacist as health educator ( HE) and hence to identify the barriers toward consumers' acceptance of the role. Method This qualitative study was conducted in four states of Malaysia where participants (>18 years old) were recruited using a convenience sampling method until saturation of themes. A semi-structured interview guide was used and face-to-face interviews with consenting participants were conducted for approximately 20 min by trained interviewers. All interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and evaluated using a thematic content analysis approach. Results In all, 21 consumers were interviewed. Analysis of interview transcripts identified four major themes: understanding of the term ' HE', facilitators and barriers for consumers accepting pharmacists as HE, and strategies to overcome the barriers. Most respondents acknowledged and recognised the roles of community pharmacists in terms of giving clear advice and explanations about healthcare issues and medications, and the ability to educate the public. The major barriers included the experience of the pharmacist, consumers' preferences for general practitioners as their HEs, the unavailability of pharmacists on the premises and personal encounters with pharmacists with bad attitudes. Conclusion Consumers generally accept pharmacists as HEs. However, some barriers do exist. The pharmacy stakeholders in the country need to address these barriers in order to improve future utilisation of community pharmacists as HEs in the existing healthcare system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]