Medical care includes services such as diagnosis, treatment, nursing, and rehabilitation, all aimed at maintaining or restoring the body’s health. Payments for these services cover a range of activities, from routine checkups to disease management. In low-income countries, individuals often bear a large portion of healthcare costs out-of-pocket, reaching up to 60% of total spending, compared with about 20% in high-income nations. Willingness to pay (WTP) reflects the maximum amount a person is ready to spend to access a health service. Previous studies have mostly focused on whether patients are willing to pay, but not on the amount they can afford. This study explored the level, average amount, and factors influencing WTP for medical care among residents of Gondar city, Northwest Ethiopia. A cross-sectional survey was conducted from February to March 2022 using systematic random sampling. Structured interviews were conducted by trained data collectors. Data were entered into Epi Info 7 and analyzed using STATA 14. Descriptive statistics summarized the participants’ responses, while Tobit regression identified determinants of WTP at a significance level of p ≤ 0.05. Of 414 respondents (95.8% response rate), 53.6% were willing to pay for medical care, with an average annual WTP of 24.17 USD. Higher WTP was significantly associated with being employed, married, having a family history of healthcare use, good knowledge of medical services, personal history of illness, longer distance from health facilities, and higher wealth status. Overall, the reported WTP was below actual medical costs. Developing tiered cost-recovery strategies targeting vulnerable populations, such as the elderly, less educated, or chronically ill, could improve access to healthcare services.
