The Making Of Nepal’s Immunization Law

Financial independence for Nepal’s immunization program is now within reach for the first time in history. On January 26, 2016, President Bidya Devi Bhandari of Nepal signed into law a long-awaited immunization bill. This law will improve oversight of immunization services, set tighter standards for vaccine testing and use, and perhaps most importantly, change the way Nepal finances its immunization program. Transitioning From Gavi Support Like many nations, Nepal currently depends on financial support from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, to fund 60-70 percent of its vaccine purchases. Nepal’s Finance Minister has stated that the country is expected to graduate from low-income to middle-income status by 2022, at which point it will no longer be eligible for Gavi support. This gives the government only a few years to establish reliable, domestic financing for immunization. Nepal’s immunization law establishes two methods for financing its immunization program. First, it mandates that the government allocate adequate funding for immunization to the National Immunization Fund, which will be collected through general taxation. To determine the amount, immunization advocates will bring evidence to the Ministry of Finance demonstrating how much money the immunization program needs to sustain current vaccine coverage and associated program operations, and purchase new vaccines. So far, the government has allocated 60 million Nepalese rupees (approximately US $550,000) to the Natio...
Source: Health Affairs Blog - Category: Health Management Authors: Tags: Costs and Spending Featured Global Health Population Health Gavi Kathmandu Declaration Nepal Sustainable Immunization Financing Program vaccines Source Type: blogs