As part of the preparatory transition phase, it is essential to initiate strategic discussions on ensuring domestic funding for immunization. This effort will allow countries to adequately harness local resources to reach their obligations during the transition phase and sustain immunization activities. Financing of health commodities is an important issue within this debate as it can be argued that donors should shift to primarily fund interventions that need substantial technical support, such as health systems strengthening. Many donors have found that transition to government financing for health commodities is extremely challenging to realize, even for relatively cheap commodities. Factors hindering transition could be related to power, incentives and interest groups. Hence, a political economy framework can enhance our understanding on how best to guide transitions towards Government financing of essential health commodities.
COMPENDIUM OF HEALTH AND NUTRITION SUPPLY FINANCING CHALLENGES IN AFRICA
This compendium brings together evidence gathered by UNICEF and Africa CDC on supply financing challenges and potential solutions. The compendium was developed following assessments in 19 African countries, including discussions with more than 550 stakeholders. While the focus of the assessments was on vaccines, nutrition supplies and essential medicines, many of the findings are relevant across all health commodities.
As a low middle-income country, Kenya is expected to gradually transition out of GAVI support by 2027. This stakeholders mapping protocol will build on the quantitative and qualitative information of immunization financing activities undertaken by local and international stakeholders. The result will help the government to identify their achievements and determine further transition measures.
Protecting immunization in governments’ budgets is essential. Based on data, research, interviews, lessons learned and good practices in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, this study provides policymakers, senior officials in finance and health ministries, and parliamentarians with a set of key recommendations to secure necessary government financing for immunization.
For more than two decades, the private sector in Sudan, including non-governmental organizations and for-profit providers, has played a vital role in delivering immunization services. This article describes the private sector contributions to equitable access to immunization services and coverage, as well as key challenges, lessons learned, and future considerations for collaboration.
There is a limited understanding of the role that the private sector plays immunization. This report concludes that the majority of MENA countries do not appear to have explicit engagement frameworks or policies with the private sector. Nevertheless, the region has an array of mostly informal collaborative models with the private sector, ranging from virtually no engagement in service provision due to regulations that prohibit this activity (Iraq, Libya), to private providers carrying out a large share of immunization services (Lebanon). In a few countries, non-profit providers play an important role in reaching vulnerable populations, such as refugees or those living in conflict areas, with services.
The response to the COVID-19 pandemic demanded dramatic increases in health expenditures, including for procurement and delivery of COVID-19 vaccines. Studies from Nepal and Pakistan assessed to what extent the response affected resources for childhood immunization, concluding that routine immunization was not significantly affected. In Nepal, this absence of crowding out was partly due to a national immunization fund that protects vaccine financing. In Pakistan, the COVID-19 response was financed from supplementary grants and a World Bank loan, ensuring that routine expenses for immunization were maintained during the pandemic.