Goals & Strategies

Vaccines are one of the most effective tools for reducing disease. The challenge is to develop strong national health programs that will continue to deliver immunizations to children in the developing world on a fiscally sustainable basis.

The Sustainable Immunization Financing program is active in 15 developing countries. Though each country has unique development objectives, all share similar challenges. Each has identified fiscal sustainability as a goal for its national immunization program, but few have taken concrete steps towards meeting that objective. Sabin's Sustainable Immunization Financing Senior Program Officers work with leaders in all 15 countries to help them share ideas, discover effective strategies for success, and meet their financial goals.

Building successful and sustainable national immunization systems requires an in-depth understanding of the overall health and socioeconomic benefits of vaccination. If governments are to increase their share of funding for specific immunization initiatives, they must find new, diverse, long-term funding sources to match the growing requirements of these programs.

The Sustainable Immunization Financing program operates in a unique way. Rather than delivering funding, training, or infrastructure, our program officers function as facilitators. Their sole objective is to help each country to achieve fiscally sustainable national immunization programs.

What is the goal of the Sustainable Immunization Financing program?

Immunization systems have three sets of principals. First are the actual owners: ministries of health, ministries of finance, and parliaments. Next are the external partners: GAVI, WHO, UNICEF, the World Bank, and other donors. Civil society groups and the private business sector compromise a third group of principals. The Sustainable Immunization Financing Program strengthens the links connecting these principals and encourages them to work together. The program also builds technical capacity and inter-institutional trust through regular information exchanges among principals. Information and peer exchanges across countries encourage cooperation—and healthy competition—at the global level.

Building financially sustainable immunization systems is a difficult but achievable goal—one the Sustainable Immunization Financing Program team believes can be achieved in five years or less. To mark progress, the program uses fiscal benchmarks already laid out in the (Phase II) GAVI grants. It also tracks how parliaments are legislating long-term financing. Meeting benchmarks and enacting protective legislation are both essential ingredients for sustainability.