Most Malaysians surveyed in 2011 favoured government funding their healthcare needs through taxation.

According to the global survey by International Research Institutes (Iris), 72 percent of the 427 people polled said they want government to foot the bill for healthcare.

This makes Malaysians the strongest proponent of such a move among the Asian countries surveyed.

sungai buloh hospital 040609 Comparatively, 21 percent of Malaysian respondents interviewed face-to-face and through online questionnaires said they preferred privately-funded health care.

The findings, released today as the movement against the 1Care plan gains momentum, also showed that about half of the Malaysians surveyed felt the country's healthcare services to be "among the best in the world".

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Slightly more than that said they were "pleased" with Malaysian healthcare, with 66 percent saying it is in "good shape".

"(Malaysians are) quite supportive of the government's handling of the healthcare system," the survey conducted between August and October 2011 showed.

However, 43 percent felt the weaknesses were due to inefficient management of the system while 42 percent blamed it on lack of funding.

A total of 65 percent felt national healthcare does a good job caring for the health of the vulnerable in society.

Of those surveyed, about a third used family physicians in public healthcare service while 42 percent opted for public hospital specialists.

Another 26 percent sought medical treatment from physicians in private health care.

The 1Care plan involves restructuring the healthcare system by creating a fund pooled from a new social health insurance scheme.

Those against the scheme oppose it as it requires 10 percent of a person's income but gives very limited coverage in return, making it pale if compared with even private insurance schemes.

With 1Care, a person who requires treatment outside the list of benefits covered by the scheme will have to foot the bill.

It is speculated that a Bill to moot a national healthcare financing authority to set up the scheme will be tabled at the coming sitting of Parliament in March.