This study is part of a larger project “Analyses of the Costs and Financing of Routine Immunization Programs and New Vaccine Introduction” which is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The project encompassed six countries (Moldova, Uganda, Zambia, Honduras, Benin and Ghana). The present report focuses on the Ghana study. The six countries used a common methodological approach developed by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
The total costs for the national routine immunization program (nationwide) amounted to 53.49 million USD in 2011, representing 5.7% of government health expenditures in Ghana, and 0.13% of GDP (current US$ in 2011). The routine EPI cost per dose administered was 5.7 USD, the cost per FIC 60.3 USD, and the cost per infant population in the country 52.9 USD. The cost per capita was 2.1 USD. Recurrent line items accounted for 91% of the aggregated costs. Within recurrent costs, salaried labor was the main cost driver, accounting for 61% of total routine EPI costs, consistent with salaries and benefits accounting for more than 60% of total public health expenditure in Ghana. Vaccine and injection supplies costs were captured at the central level and accounted for 19% of total national aggregate costs. The remaining substantial recurrent cost items, as a percentage of total EPI costs, were: volunteer labor (4.2%), transport (3.4%) and overhead utilities and communication (2.0%). Finally minor costs include cold chain energy (0.4%), per diem (0.8%), vehicle maintenance (0.1%), printing (0.1%) and other recurrent costs (0.3%) which together accounted for less than 2% of total cost
