Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Vaccination is a proven method for preventing infectious diseases and their complications at individual and community levels. This study aimed to estimate actual public spending on immunisation and compare it with expenditures in other categories of direct medical costs and indirect costs related to absenteeism. METHODS: The analysis was based on previously published modelling framework Immunisation Planning Tool (IPT 2.0), populated with vaccine acquisition and administration cost data, vaccination coverage, demographic characteristics, and the scope of the immunisation programme, which defines the recommended schedules for specific patient populations in Poland. Spending on immunisation was compared with total health expenditure, budgets for drugs and prevention, and more specific expenditure categories (e.g., common diseases and drug groups classified by ATC system). In addition, it was compared with indirect costs related to absenteeism due to vaccine-preventable diseases. RESULTS: The annual healthcare budget in 2024 in Poland was €44,752 million, of which €6,087 million (13.6%) was allocated to drug and €769 million (1.7%) to prevention. The immunisation programme cost €206 million (0.5%), with vaccine acquisition accounting for 91% of total immunisation costs. The annual per capita cost of vaccines was €4.99, which was notably lower than per capita reimbursement costs for drug classes used to treat diabetes (€12.12), cardiovascular diseases (€12.67), nervous system diseases (€9.42), and respiratory diseases (€7.68). Additionally, the total cost of absenteeism due to vaccine-preventable diseases (€371 million) significantly exceeded the total annual expenditure on the immunisation programme in Poland. CONCLUSION: With 1.7% of its healthcare budget allocated to prevention and 0.5% to vaccinations, Poland remains a country that invests relatively little in preventive measures. Given the high return on investment in immunisation-through reductions in both direct and indirect costs and in severe outcomes-increased and sustainable public funding for vaccination should be prioritised by healthcare policymakers. Sustainable public investment is crucial to addressing key immunisation challenges: low coverage, delayed introduction of cost-effective vaccines and service quality gaps. Rather than being driven by international expenditure comparisons, this investment should be justified by the evidence-based potential of immunisation to reduce the health and economic burden of vaccine-preventable diseases.