Policy Brief (Issue 6): Is it Worthwhile to Introduce Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine into the Routine Immunization Services?

In Bhutan, respiratory infections are some of the major causes of morbidity and mortality in children. Pneumonia, an infection of the lungs, is among the top 10 common
causes of children’s death in the country. Not only does it impose costs on society that may not be immediately visible (e.g. productivity loss from absenteeism

Not only does it impose costs on society that may not be immediately visible (e.g. productivity loss from absenteeism in the long-term), it also entails funding high treatment costs for the Royal Government of Bhutan (RGOB). Bhutan’s Ministry of Health (MoH) recommended to introduce the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) to help prevent pneumonia and other associated diseases in children aged less than 5 years.

However, cost-effectiveness and vaccine efficacy in Bhutanese context needs to be determined. To address this, the Essential Medicines and Technology Division (EMTD) collaborated with the Health Intervention and Technology Assessment Program (HITAP) to conduct an in-depth study assessing the value-for-money of PCVs.

The findings from this study could guide the MoH on
whether to invest in and these vaccine or not.