Factors Associated with Out-of-Pocket Expenditure among Patients Admitted for Cataract Surgery under District Blindness Control Society Scheme: A Cross-Sectional Study from a Private Medical College Hospital of South India

BACKGROUND: The National Programme for Control of Blindness and Visual Impairment in India supports the management of various conditions of the eye including cataracts. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to estimate out-of-pocket expenditure (OOPE) and factors associated with it among patients admitted for cataract surgery under District Blindness Control Society (DBCS) scheme. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in a Medical College Hospital of Coastal Karnataka, South India. Data were collected using a predesigned semi-structured interview schedule from 100 patients admitted for cataract surgery under DBCS scheme. Costs were reported as median values with interquartile range (IQR) and compared using the Kruskal-Wallis test. RESULTS: Median total cost incurred by the patient was INR 1700 (IQR 1052–2575). Median direct costs (1425, IQR 762.5–2200 INR) included medical expenditure (600, IQR 0–1475 INR), mainly contributed by the treatment of systemic comorbid conditions and nonmedical expenditure toward travel. Median indirect costs (400, IQR 200–600 INR) included loss of wages for the patient and the bystander. CONCLUSIONS: OOPE for cataract surgery among DBCS patients was associated with the presence of comorbidity, postponement of surgery, duration of hospital stay, and distance traveled by the patient.