New and Under-utilized Vaccines Implementation (NUVI)

2nd Global meeting on implementing new and under-utilized vaccines, 23-25 June 2008

16 July 2008

Sustainable financing

As more new vaccines become available, national health authorities are finding it increasingly challenging to meet the cost of including such vaccines in their routine immunization programmes. The GAVI Alliance continues to support countries with GNI of less than US$ 1000 per capita in the introduction of new vaccines. However, in the coming years, these countries will need to take increasing financial responsibility for immunization financing in view of the changing health and immunization financing landscape. Financing is a particular hurdle for lower middle-income countries (LMICs) which do not currently benefit from any global initiative to support the accelerated introduction and financing of new vaccines. In the past couple of years, in line with the WHO-UNICEF Global Immunization Vision and Strategy (GIVS), countries have been developing comprehensive Multi-Year Plans for immunization (cMYPs) for their immunization programmes. cMYPs have been developed by over 70 countries to date and the cMYPs serve as a key immunization programme planning and financing tool.

Recommendations

cMYP support

- cMYPs to be a core component of immunization planning, a resource for partner support, and a tool for national immunization programme resource mobilization.
- Extend cMYP support to all LMICs, and then further to all WHO Member States.
- Develop cMYPs in line with the WHO/UNICEF Global Immunization Vision and Strategy 2006-2016 (GIVS) and national health planning and budgeting processes.
- Prioritize monitoring of the implementation of cMYPs, in particular the financial sustainability section.

Immunization financing

- Review existing financing options for LMICs, in particular the leveraging of additional domestic funds, and the potential of innovative financing mechanisms for new vaccines.
- Consider the feasibility of establishing a group of strategic thinkers to identify new financing options for the introduction of new vaccines in non GAVI-eligible countries.

Analytical work

- Undertake analyses of systems costs related to the introduction of new and underutilized vaccines, country perspectives for co-financing, and potential innovative financing to LMICs for new and potential future vaccines.

Maintain and enhance frameworks for monitoring of immunization financing

- Develop indicators related to resource mobilization, sustainability, and immunization programme implementation.

Capacity building

- Address regional priority needs for continued capacity building in the areas of financial sustainability, resource mobilization and advocacy.
- Offer technical support to countries for making optimal use of cMYPs to leverage additional resources and more specifically domestic resources.

Knowledge and information management

- Improve management and dissemination of information on immunization financing by updating the immunization financing database and maintaining the web site.

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