The Pakistan Expanded Program on Immunization and the National Immunization Support Project : An Economic Analysis

Haque, Minhaj Ul ; Waheed, Muhammad ; Masud, Tayyeb ; Malick, Wasim Shahid ; Yunus, Hammad ; Rekhi, Rahul ; Oelrichs, Robert ; Kucheryavenko, Oleg

Washington, DC: World Bank

关键词: immunization;    vaccines;    polio;   

RP-ID  :  111815

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: World Bank Open Knowledge Repository

【 摘 要 】

Pakistan faces a formidable challenge ineliminating the polio virus from the country. Withtransmission of the polio virus substantially slowing in theAfrica region, the only two countries worldwide with ongoingendemic polio transmission may soon be Pakistan andAfghanistan. A substantial number of the polio cases orinfant paralysis occurring in Afghanistan is linked tocross-border transmission from Pakistan. The ongoing cycleof polio infection is not just a tragedy for the children ofPakistan, it is a global public health emergencyconstituting one of the final barriers to permanentlyeradicating polio. This paper demonstrates clear economicbenefits and efficacy of the National Immunization SupportProject (NISP), which is financing interventions in terms ofDALYs saved, and establishes that this approach isaffordable and economically effective with a high rate ofreturn. In addition to increased investment, theeffectiveness of the Expanded Program on Immunization can beenhanced by improving the capacity building of healthprofessionals, as well as by improving logistics of programinterventions to reach marginalized populations, remoteareas, and pockets of resistance. An increased financialinvestment alone will be insufficient to address the rootcauses of persistent under-coverage of immunization inPakistan. It is imperative that ample attention andresources be diverted to strengthen the procurement systems,local and provincial management capacity, and reportingmechanisms, among other capacity improvements.