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Proactively vaccinated: Private services close the gaps of expanded program on immunization (EPI)

• Since 1974, vaccination has prevented 154 million deaths, including 146 million in children under 5, and 101 million of them in infants. Despite being devastating, COVID-19 marked a turning point of the vaccine industry, boosting public awareness of the importance of disease prevention and the lifesaving role of vaccines.
• Vietnam joined WHO’s EPI in 1981 and rolled it out nationwide in 1985. As a result, vaccination coverage for children under one year old in Vietnam has consistently exceeded 90%. However, this rate remains lower than in some countries (Malaysia 94%, Singapore 97%, Korea 97%, US 93%). Adult vaccination coverage reached only 1% by 2022, compared with 34% in Thailand and 66% in Singapore (KPMG). Coverage for high-value vaccines such as HPV, pneumococcal, shingles, and seasonal influenza remains below 5% (B&Company); HPV among adolescent girls is 12% (lower than 80% in Malaysia).
• Limitations of curative care became evident during pandamic: Hospitals were overwhelmed, with shortages of beds, medical staff, and pharmaceuticals. This proved the important role of preventive medicine. However, investment rate of preventive medicine/curative medicine is currently 15/85, which created a significant imbalance, despite the fact that every 1 unit of budget allocated to preventive medicine can have an impact equivalent to 10 units spent on curation medicine.
• The private vaccination market has been rapidly expanding, driven by rising awareness and proactive demand for prevention, as unmet needs beyond the EPI. Two main factors underpin this: (1) Limited coverage outside the child population and low uptake among adults; (2) Rising demand for premium services from the urban and middle class.