Al-Balbisi: Including the influenza vaccine in insurance saves costs for the health sector
Amman2 min read
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The head of the National Center for Disease Control and Communicable Diseases, Adel Al-Balbisi, said that the center has launched a call for insurance companies to include the influenza vaccine under their insurance coverage, with the aim of protecting the groups most vulnerable to complications of the disease and reducing their hospital admissions, thereby achieving significant savings for the health sector.
Al-Balbisi added on Thursday that influenza cases are recorded annually in large numbers during the period extending from approximately week 43 until the end of April or May, pointing out that vaccinating the most vulnerable groups, including the elderly, pregnant women, and people with chronic diseases, contributes to reducing their hospital admissions.
He explained that influenza begins to rise and reaches its peak of infections in week 50 of the year, then cases begin to decline until the end of the year or the first or second week of the following year.
Regarding the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), Al-Balbisi noted that its activity begins at the end of the year and continues until weeks 15 or 16 of the following year.
Regarding the cost of the vaccine, Al-Balbisi said that it ranges in the markets between 5 and 10 dinars, depending on the type of vaccine, explaining that insurance companies purchasing large quantities of it could reduce its price to less than 5 dinars, thus saving them costs when including it under the insurance coverage.
He emphasized that the center is currently working on arranging a meeting with insurance companies to present infection numbers, hospital admission cases, and the savings that can be achieved through vaccination, expecting the meeting to be held soon to discuss the matter.
Al-Balbisi pointed out that the center has launched the call, while work is still ongoing to hold the meeting with insurance companies and explain aspects related to the costs of infection and treatment and the expected savings from prevention.
