Analyzing Government Expenditures on Routine Immunization in Lower and Lower Middle Income Countries

I wanted to draw your attention to an article, “An analysis of government immunization program expenditures in lower and lower middle income countries 2006-12,” recently published by Health Policy and Planning. Co-authors include representatives from the Sabin Vaccine Institute’s Sustainable Immunization Financing (SIF) Program and the World Health Organization. This study tests the hypothesis that lower and lower middle income countries will spend more on their routine immunization programs as their economies grow. A panel data regression approach is used. Expenditures reported by governments annually (2006–12) through the World Health Organization/UNICEF Joint Reporting Form are regressed on lagged annual per capita gross national income (GNI), controlling for infant mortality, immunization program performance, corruption control efforts, geographical region and reporting errors. Results show country expenditures increased with GNI. The countries spent approximately $6.32 on immunization for every $100 in GNI increase from 2006 to 2012. Projecting forward and assuming continued annual GNI growth rates of 10.65%, countries could be spending $60 per infant by 2020 if national investment functions increase 4-fold. Given the political will, this result implies countries could fully finance their routine immunization programs without cutting funding for other programs. Click here to access the full text.