BACKGROUND
The public opinion and experience on the health care services are crucial to provide valuable insight towards improving and strengthening the health care systems.
OBJECTIVE
This study aims to explore the public perspective regarding the quality of health care services rendered by the health care facilities in Malaysia.
METHODS
The snowballing strategy was used to reach the target through an online opinion poll with three open-ended questions on the strengths of the healthcare facilities, their expectation and suggestion for improvement along with the sociodemographic characteristic. Data were analysed using a thematic approach.
RESULTS
A total of 800 participants (68% of females and 32% of males) participated. Their responses were grouped into 5 main themes namely: (1) system; (2) input; (3) service delivery; (4) outputs; (5) outcomes. Public feel that they are respected and treated with care by the healthcare providers. However, most of the participants highlighted the issue of long waiting time when they visited healthcare facilities. In relation to this issue, they suggested the facilities to have more staff especially doctors to improve current service.
CONCLUSIONS
In conclusion, enhancing service delivery by reducing the waiting time, should be the main focus as viewed by the public. The quality of services provided would certainly be improved by having sufficient resources including healthcare workers.