This study presents first attempt in Russia to assess willingness to pay for medication treatment. OBJECTIVE: To obtain monetary valuation of benefits concerned with avoiding amputation in case of critical limb ischemia in Russia. METHODS: 191 physicians and 137 health care managers filled in the questionnaire about their willingness to pay for medication treatment for critical limb ischemia with prostaglandin E1 if amputation rate decreases to 12% in comparison with 48% in present common practice. The probability of amputation was extracted from a retrospective analysis of the outcomes of managing 105 patients with critical limb ischemia in common practice and a published follow-up study of 752 patients treated with prostaglandin E1 at Moscow surgery center. The respondents had to assess their maximum out-of-pocket expenses and maximum possible expenses for national health care system (NHCS). RESULTS. 22,8% of respondents could not give a monetary value for the hypothetical situation. Median value for out-of-pocket expenses was 30 000 roubles (about 1000 USD$); the range 1500- 435 000 roubles for physicians and 15 000 roubles (500 USD); the range of 500 -175 000 roubles for health care managers. According to physicians opinion, payment from the NHCS should be 70±30% of the named sum. Health care managers answered that NHCS should cover about 80±27% of the expenses. CONCLUSION. First experience of assessing willingness to pay showed that health care managers in Russia are valuing benefits concerned with avoiding amputation twice less than physicians. Anyway the price of prostagladin E1 is about 350 USD for a period of treatment that is much less than the median sum of money named by both groups of respondents.