People would rather pay higher taxes to subsidise public medicine than take out medical insurance, according to a Chinese University survey.
A total of 1,001 people aged over 18 were questioned in a telephone interview from October 4 to 9. Fifty-five per cent of respondents said they would accept increased taxation to improve public medical services, while 69 per cent said they were against mandatory medical insurance.
In addition, 72 per cent said they would support a $100 charge for emergency services to reduce abuses.
Professor Wong Chack-kie of the department of social work said the findings were surprising and that there might by an economic factor.
'Nowadays we are in a downturn and people may be less willing to contribute for health care [in the form of insurance],' he said.
The favourable perception of public health care made people more willing to support services through taxation, he said.
