Willingness to pay for cataract surgery in baiyin district, northwestern China.

PURPOSE: To investigate willingness to pay for cataract surgery, and its associations, in Northwestern China. METHODS: Four hundred thirty-eight persons aged 50 years and above, diagnosed with cataract indicated for surgery, identified in an outreach screening program were included. Subjects were offered a willingness-to-pay interview for the maximal amount that the subjects would be willing to pay for a cataract surgery. Age, gender, literacy, education level, occupation, and annual household income were recorded. RESULTS: Among 328 (74.9%) subjects who completed the interview, 197 (60.1%) participants were willing to pay something for the cataract surgery (mean, 902.9 ± 856.7 renminbi[RMB], [US$ 145 ± 137]; median, 500RMB, US$ 78). Individuals with presenting visual acuity (PVA) in the worse eye ≤6/60 (OR: 2.1, 95% CI: 1.3-3.2) and a high annual household incomes (OR: 2.0, 95% CI: 0.9-4.6) were likely to be willing to pay for the surgery, as revealed in the regression models. Willingness to pay any amount for cataract surgery was more likely among literate persons (OR: 1.5, 95% CI: 1.0-2.4) and persons with non-agricultural occupation (OR: 1.8, 95% CI: 1.0-3.2). CONCLUSIONS: The amount that subjects were willing to pay is significantly less than the current cost of cataract surgery (5000 RMB, US$320) in the area. Providing low-cost cataract surgery to patients in a financially sustainable manner is important to increase uptake of cataract surgery among rural residents in Northwest China.

Implementation of a free cataract surgery program in rural China: a community-based randomized interventional study.

PURPOSE: To identify effective methods to increase the number of cataract surgeries in a rural setting in Pucheng County of Shaanxi Province, northwestern China. DESIGN: Community-based randomized interventional study. PARTICIPANTS: Four hundred thirty-two patients 50 years of age or older with operable cataract who had not undergone surgery 3 months after participation in a cataract outreach screening program. METHODS: Three hundred fifty-five (82.2%) patients eligible for surgery, but not scheduling it on their own, were contacted and were assigned randomly into 4 groups. Participants in group 1 (n = 86) were given informative reminders by telephone or in person by a trained facilitator about undergoing low-cost cataract surgery. Group 2 (n = 86) was offered free cataract surgery. Group 3 (n = 90) was offered free surgery and reimbursement of transportation expenses. Group 4 (n = 93) was provided with free rides from home to hospital in addition to the reminder and free surgery. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Number of participants undergoing cataract surgery after interventions. RESULTS: In total, 94 patients (26.5%) underwent cataract surgery after interventions. In group 1, 13 patients (14.4%) underwent surgery, which was significantly lower than the number in group 2 (n = 25 [27.8%]; P = 0.027), group 3 (n = 28 [31.1%]; P = 0.012), and group 4 (n = 26 [28%]; P = 0.038). There were no significant differences between groups 2 and 3 (P = 0.768) or between groups 2 and 4 (P = 0.869). CONCLUSIONS: Provision of free cataract surgery was twice as effective as giving patients an informative reminder when it came to increasing the uptake of cataract surgery. However, offering reimbursement of transportation expenses or provision of free rides had minimal added impact on the response rate of participants to undergo cataract surgery.