Ability and willingness of individual in farming sector to contribute to national healthcare financing scheme

Background: As the healthcare expenditure is further inflated, healthcare finance is one of the sensitive issues that currently been spoke and discuss by many people. 30% of Malaysian populations are individuals who work in informal sector. Therefore, there is a need to conduct a study to know the ability and willingness of an individual in informal sector specifically the farmer’s expenditure for healthcare.

 

Objectives:  The study objective is to study the ability and willingness to pay by individuals in farming sector to contribute to National Health Financing Scheme.

 Methods:  This is a cross sectional study involving farmers in Selangor. 400 farmers as the household leader was selected using multistage random sampling. A questionnaire were used and patients were questioned personally by the researcher. Results are analysed using SPSS version 11.5.

 Results: 92.3% farmers are able to pay to the healthcare. Willingness to pay of the responden to public healthcare facilities are RM4.43 for every visit to the outpatient clinic and RM5.62 for every episod of inpatient treatment.  Willingness to pay of the responden to private healthcare facilities for every visit to the outpatient clinic are RM16.34. Willingness to pay of the individuals in farmer sector to contribute to The National Healthcare Financing Scheme are RM2.00 per month. 96.5%  of respondens agreed that The National Healthcare Financing Scheme to been formed and 93.8% of respondens want The National Healthcare Financing Scheme been handled by non-profit non government body. Majority of the respondens want the contribution as based on their ability and the payment been made at pos office counter.

 Conclusion:  The factor that influences farmer ability to pay to healthcare is their household number. While the factor that influence farmers willingness to pay is their household income.

 Key words: Ability to pay. Willingness to pay. National Healthcare Financing Scheme.