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Health Seeking Behaviour towards Communicable Diseases among Foreign Workers in Industrial Agriculture Sectors of Selected Districts in Perak, Malaysia
Figure 5. Comparison of health seeking behaviour for reported mild illness by sector
Figure 6. Comparison of health seeking behaviour for reported mild illness by nationality
Thailand Indonesia
Bangladesh Nepal
Vietnam
Nationality
Plantation Industry
Sector
9 5
C I E
v e
r S e
e k T
re at
m e
n t
9 5
C I E
v e
r S e
e k T
re at
m e
n t
1.2
1.0
0.8
0.6
0.4 1.0
0.9
0.8
0.7
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Health Seeking Behaviour towards Communicable Diseases among Foreign Workers in Industrial Agriculture Sectors of Selected Districts in Perak, Malaysia
Figure 7. Comparison of health seeking behaviour for reported mild illness by legal status and sector
Figure 8. Comparison of health seeking behaviour for reported mild illness by legal status and nationality
Plantation Industry
Sector 9
5 C
I E v
e r S
e e
k T re
at m
e n
t
226
Health Seeking Behaviour towards Communicable Diseases among Foreign Workers in Industrial Agriculture Sectors of Selected Districts in Perak, Malaysia
Figure 9. Comparison of health seeking behaviour for reported mild illness by nationality and sector
Figure 10. Choice of government health care provider by nationality and sector
227
Health Seeking Behaviour towards Communicable Diseases among Foreign Workers in Industrial Agriculture Sectors of Selected Districts in Perak, Malaysia
Figure 11. Choice of private health care provider by nationality and sector
Figure 12. Perception of good health care service by nationality and sector
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Health Seeking Behaviour towards Communicable Diseases among Foreign Workers in Industrial Agriculture Sectors of Selected Districts in Perak, Malaysia
Figure 13. Source of payment for treatment fees
Figure 14. Reasons for not seeking treatment
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Health Seeking Behaviour towards Communicable Diseases among Foreign Workers in Industrial Agriculture Sectors of Selected Districts in Perak, Malaysia
4.2.2 Health seeking practice: rating of health care provider
The 172 respondents were asked to rate the provision of health care service in Malaysia. Majority 70.3 considered the health care service good. There
was a significant difference in the perception of good health care among nationality and sector Figure 12. Indonesian and Bangladeshi workers gave
higher ratings than Nepalese and Vietnamese workers.
4.2.3 Health seeking practice: mode of transportation
Among the 172 foreign workers, 55.2 used employers’ transport, 22.6 used their own transport, and the remaining used either public transport
or walked to the health care provider to seek treatment for mild illness. There was no significant difference in the mode of transportation among
sector and nationality.
4.2.4 Payment of treatment fees
Of the respondents who reported seeking treatment for mild illness, they were interviewed on the payment source of their treatment fees.
Majority of the respondents who sought treatment for their illness had their treatment fees paid by their employers Figure 13. These comprised 75 and
72 workers in the agricultural and industrial sectors respectively. A large number of respondents 45 agriculture and 29 industrial workers had to
fork out their own money to pay their treatment fees. The treatment fees of some respondents were covered by their panel clinicdoctor and health
insurance. Similarly, a larger number of workers in the industrial sector had this privilege.
4.2.5 Reasons for not seeking treatment
We interviewed the 39 respondents who experienced mild or severe illness to determine their reasons for not seeking treatment for their illness Figure
14. The main reason given by these respondents was mild illness not requiring treatment 30, 76.9. This next reason given was the distance
of the health care provider from their residence 9, 23.1. Other reasons reported were preference of self-care 5, 12.8, fear of treatment and poor
employer support 3, 7.7, and not confident with treatment 2, 5.1. Only 1 respondent reported the treatment being too expensive as the reason of
not seeking treatment. Non-satisfaction with the health care service was not one of the reasons for not seeking treatment for illness.
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Health Seeking Behaviour towards Communicable Diseases among Foreign Workers in Industrial Agriculture Sectors of Selected Districts in Perak, Malaysia
Figure 15. Health seeking behaviour for pulmonary tuberculosis by nationality and sector
Figure 16. Health seeking behaviour for pulmonary tuberculosis by legality and sector
