Laos has one of the highest economic growth rates in the region in recent years – about eight percent — but it also has a budget shortfall. That means many state workers including doctors and nurses also haven't been paid in months.
Amid the ongoing fiscal crisis, aid workers were concerned the government wouldn't meet a sharply rising financial commitment to fund patchy, but improving immunization coverage. In the absence of a local commitment, there was concern international donors would cry foul, potentially threatening the country's vaccination program.
Then on May 12, UNICEF reported that Laos had deposited the requisite $530 000, confirming the landlocked Southeast Asian state's small commitment to the program, which totaled US$7.9 million in 2014. The government's commitment has placated foreign donors, guaranteeing coverage for the majority of the country's nearly seven million people.
"In light of the fiscal situation, it is encouraging that the government of Laos is continuing to commit its financial resources to high impact and life-saving interventions for children, such as immunization," said Julia Rees, acting head of UNICEF's Laos office, the procurer of vaccines for the country.