A new study examines the landscape of vaccine financing and health economics capacity across countries in the Eastern Mediterranean region. The authors conducted a survey across multiple national immunization programs, exploring themes such as funding sources and stability, health economic evaluation capacity, integration of economic evidence in decision making, institutional arrangements, and external support. Their analysis highlights gaps in sustainable financing, limited local capacity for economic evaluation, and reliance on external donors.
The study emphasizes the importance of strengthening domestic financing mechanisms and institutional capacity to support evidence-informed vaccine policy over the long term. It argues for increased investments in health economics training, stronger governmental commitment to routine immunization budgets, and better coordination between national agencies, donors, and technical partners. The authors conclude that improving vaccine financing resilience and economic evaluation capacity will be pivotal for achieving sustainable immunization systems in the region.
How can the findings be used?
The primary audience of this paper includes national immunization programmes, NITAGs, and Ministries of Health, who can use the findings to strengthen vaccine financing and policy through increased domestic investment and institutional reform. It is also directed at global partners such as WHO, UNICEF, and Gavi, to help shape technical assistance and capacity-building priorities, as well as academia and training institutions, which can leverage the results to design curricula and mentorship programmes in health economics. More broadly, the assessment speaks to all stakeholders engaged in building coordinated, evidence-informed, and sustainable immunization systems in the Eastern Mediterranean Region.
Thumbnail image credit: GAVI/2017/Asad Zaidi
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