Boosting Immunization Demand in Haryana

Immunization is one of the most cost-effective ways to improve child health in developing countries. However, in 2017, an estimated 19.9 million infants worldwide were not reached with routine immunization services. Approximately 10.3 million of these children were in India, where only 62% of children between 12 – 23 months are fully vaccinated (NHFS-4). In the Indian state of Haryana, the full immunization rates fell from 65% in 2004-05 to 62% in 2015-16. This proposal aims to respond to an exciting window of opportunity in Haryana, where J-PAL South Asia is partnering with the Government to scale-up a proven successful program that is cost-effective and that leverages Government’s existing mHealth technological infrastructure, to boost the demand for immunization. The program known as the Boosting immunization demand program (BID) deploys a set of interventions that include SMS reminders, social networks, and small incentives. The BID program complements current supply-side interventions by the Government and leverages administrative data from a mHealth platform to identify cost-effective implementation strategies within the state.

*This project was first funded under the Innovation in Government Initiative's predecessor initiative, the Government Partnerships Initiative (GPI). The initial GPI funded project can be seen here.