Acceptability and Willingness to Pay for Influenza Vaccination among Healthcare Professionals in Vietnam

Abstract

Background: While Vietnam’s Expanded Program on Immunization does not cover influenza vaccines, people must pay out-of-pocket for influenza vaccination. Healthcare professionals have a high risk of contracting influenza, but their vaccination rate is low. 

Objective: To examine the willingness to pay (WTP) for influenza vaccination among healthcare professionals in Vietnam. It also recommends financing sources for influenza vaccination among healthcare professionals and determines possible measures to expand vaccine coverage.

Method: We interviewed 130 healthcare professionals in a national hospital in Hanoi in July 2021. We used Andersen’s behavioral Model (ABM) as an initial approach. The double-bounded dichotomous-choice questions were used to determine WTP for influenza vaccination among the target group. Collected responses were coded and analysed through IBM SPSS version 20 for descriptive, chi-square analyses. 

Results: Most of the healthcare professionals who responded to this study were female with 75.4 % of the total 130 respondents. The mean age of participants was 34.08 years old. The average maximum WTP for influenza vaccination services was 357.57 VND (USD 15.3). Most of the participants reported that individuals should pay a part of the cost, and four-fifths reported they believed that the government and medical insurance should subsidize the service (80.8 % and 85.4 %). The Chi-square test showed that there was a significant association between perceived severity and history of influenza vaccination with the WTP, X²(1, N=130) = 4.18, p = 0.04 and X² (1, N=130) = 7.81, p = 0.005, respectively.

Conclusion: The WTP for influenza vaccination among healthcare professionals was found relatively high. Suggesting that price is not a primary barrier. The government and medical insurance were believed to be the potential agencies for improving vaccination uptake as these agencies were expected to be the subsidized actors. Other health interventions such as influenza literacy and communication methods are also needed to expand vaccine coverage.

(*The paper was presented at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University’s College of Professional and Continuing Education (CPCE) Conference “Post-pandemic health and long-term care: A new paradigm”. September 2021)