Helene Pasquini-Descomps
HES-SO University of Applied Sciences Western Switzerland, Switzerland
Posters & Accepted Abstracts: Prim Health Care
Statement of the Problem: When the World Health Organization (WHO) raised the alert for the pandemic influenza to phase 6 in June 2009, the countries had to provide a response and manage the risk through several activities. This unexpected event created additional public expenditure related to the strategies that the governments decided to put in place. In this study, we review the strategies and public expenditure related to H1N1 crisis management in Japan, Switzerland, and the United States. Methodology & Theoretical Orientation: We gathered public budget and expenditure data through official documents and interviews at national and regional levels. Based on this data, we computed the total expenditure and spending per inhabitant for managing the influenza pandemic in order to propose metrics similar to total project cost and unit cost from the context of cost analysis in corporate finance. We then reviewed the pandemic management activities and related expenditures in each country that were classified under the following categories: Immunization; Regional Support and Hospital Preparedness; Antivirals; Equipment (Mask Antiseptic and Protective Clothing); and International Contribution. Findings: We found that the countries spent between $11.3 and $26.7 per inhabitant to manage H1N1 and that the total expenditure represented less than 0.5% of the yearly national budget. The vaccination policy and intended coverage (from 29% to 83% of the general population) mostly explain the differences in spending per inhabitant. The second biggest spending were for regional activities, which included vaccination campaigns, the purchase of materials, and increases in staff. Conclusion & Significance: Financial data are often lacking during a pandemic crisis, and reviewing past strategies and related financial data can potentially help public authorities to anticipate their budget for future influenza pandemics.
