The National Assembly of Laos has convened the second in a national series of workshops on “The Economics of Health – Financing Primary Health Care and Immunization in Laos.” Organized by the Assembly’s Committee on Social and Cultural Affairs in collaboration with the Ministry of Health (MoH), the event received technical support from Health Poverty Action (HPA), with contributions from the Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI) and the University of Health Sciences (UHS).
Held in Vang Vieng, the workshop brought together members of the National Assembly’s Committees on Social and Cultural Affairs and on Planning, Finance and Audit, along with senior officials from the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Finance (MoF), and key development partners. The goal was to identify coordinated policy actions to ensure sustainable health financing for Laos.
The meeting built on the first workshop held in September 2025, “Catalyzing Parliamentary Leadership for Health Security and National Prosperity,” and advanced dialogue on practical measures to guarantee continued funding for immunization and primary health care.
Sustaining Progress in Health
Over the past decade, Laos has achieved significant gains in public health. Under-five mortality fell from 62 to 35 per 1,000 live births between 2016 and 2022, while HPV vaccine coverage surpassed 98 percent among ten-year-old girls. The country has also maintained its polio-free status since 2000. Policy and procurement reforms, including the switch to a new pneumococcal vaccine (PCV) and adoption of a single-dose HPV schedule, have saved an estimated USD 700,000 annually.
Yet financial pressures are mounting. Starting in 2026, Laos will require more than USD 3 million each year for vaccine procurement. With external assistance declining and public investment in health still limited, participants warned that essential immunization services could be at risk without new domestic financing strategies.
Deepening Fiscal Dialogue
The second workshop focused on fiscal and policy approaches to close the vaccine-financing gap. Central to discussions was the need for stronger coordination between the MoH, MoF, and the National Assembly to ensure predictable funding for immunization and primary health care.
Participants emphasized that effective budget allocation and efficient use of resources are vital to sustain public health achievements. Without a clear fiscal strategy, gains in child health and disease prevention could be jeopardized. The workshop called for urgent budget reforms and practical advocacy tools to support parliamentary engagement in the 2026 budget cycle.
It was noted that a rise in unvaccinated children would result in significant economic losses from preventable disease outbreaks, as the cost of emergency response and treatment would far exceed the cost of prevention through routine vaccination.
Key sessions explored the inclusion of dedicated vaccine-procurement budget lines and better coordination between the MoH and MoF to raise overall health spending to at least nine percent of total government expenditure. Participants debated how best to institutionalize separate vaccine budgets but agreed on the importance of predictable allocations.
Discussions also considered domestic resource mobilization through reforms in tobacco and alcohol taxation, integration of health insurance and social protection systems, and the economic return on vaccines, estimated at up to USD 54 in benefits for every USD 1 invested.
Voices from the Workshop
“Our role as parliamentarians is to ensure that the national budget reflects the real needs of the people. Vaccination is one of the most cost-effective investments we can make in human capital and national prosperity,” said Bounta Thepphavong, Chairman of the Committee on Social and Cultural Affairs, National Assembly of Laos.
Thet Lynn, Country Director of Health Poverty Action Laos, added, “This workshop marks an important step toward strengthening collaboration among the National Assembly, the Ministries of Health and Finance, and development partners. By developing practical toolkits and sharing fiscal evidence, we can help parliamentarians advocate effectively for sustainable health financing. As international support transitions, domestic financing must keep pace to prevent disruptions in vaccine delivery. The cost of inaction would far outweigh the investment needed today.”
Next Steps
Outcomes from the workshop will guide the 2026 national budget deliberations and support the development of a Parliamentary Toolkit on Sustainable Health Financing. This resource will help Members of Parliament assess fiscal options, meet co-financing obligations, and advocate for greater domestic investment in immunization and primary health care.
Participants stressed the need to increase domestic financing for immunization to at least USD 20 per child, equivalent to around USD 3.3 million annually, to safeguard public health and economic stability.
They warned that recent experiences, such as a costly measles outbreak that claimed children’s lives, demonstrate the price of underinvestment. Without timely action, Laos risks reversing the hard-won immunization coverage gains that have protected millions of children and strengthened national resilience.
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