National vaccine plan still at stake. Why so many delays?
One more no. In the session of last July 12, there was no expected approval in the State-Regions Conference of the new National Vaccine Prevention Plan 2023-2025 (PNPV). A no that now comes months after the presentation of the document (which includes for the first time a separate vaccination calendar, which can be updated from year to year, as the main novelty) and which leaves everyone unhappy. Regions, the Ministry of Finance, which cannot agree, and the hygiene and public health experts who speak of "short-sighted policies" in the field of health prevention, to the detriment of the most fragile populations, such as the elderly.
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“The delays in approving the new vaccine plan are not due to technical problems. The question is all about health policy: a rebound is underway between the Regions and the Ministry of Finance on who should bear the burden of the higher costs associated with the expansion of the free offer of vaccines ", he comments on Health Pierluigi Lopalco, epidemiologist and professor of hygiene at the University of Salento. In fact, the position of the Regions is clear, which made it known: "The Conference, taking into account that the new Vaccination Plan provides for the expansion of the vaccination offer and the number of vaccines to be administered to ensure vaccination coverage for all subjects at risk, expresses strong concern about the accumulated delays which cannot be attributed to the Regions, given the failure by the Government to accept the request for a commitment to verify the possibility of finding the resources that may become necessary to deal with any higher costs that may emerge in outcome of monitoring".
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In the midst of this political rebound remains the scientific question. "Personally - continues Lopalco - I hope that, in addition to common sense, awareness of the scientific bases will prevail, demonstrating how the increase in vaccination coverage always leads in the medium term to net savings in direct health costs, and also in indirect social costs ”. In fact, the same hygiene expert, commenting on the lack of approval on social media, recalled how financing prevention is not an expense but an investment: “According to an estimate by the American CDC, for every dollar invested in the vaccination program, the country saves 10.90. The savings linked to the vaccination of children born between 1994 and 2018 would amount to 406 billion in direct health costs and over 1000 billion in indirect social costs".
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He also reminded that spending on vaccine prevention is an investment in health Roberta Siliquini, president of the Italian Society of Hygiene, Preventive Medicine and Public Health: “It is impossible to think that the improvement of the type of vaccination offer, together with the increase in the fragile population to be reached, can take place with an unchanged budget. The commitment of additional resources is essential, representing both a short and long-term investment, overcoming the funding impasse that holds in check the right of every individual to achieve the highest possible level of health. We believe that short-sighted policies with respect to prevention constitute a real threat to the country which, unfortunately, despite the large number of frail and elderly populations, remains among the last to invest in prevention".
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