National Consultant – Health Financing

.Purpose of consultancy:

The purpose of this consultancy is to provide technical and analytical support to the WHO Ukraine Health Financing Unit in strengthening health financing policy and implementation in Ukraine. The consultant will contribute to the development of technical products, policy analysis, and regulatory inputs to support reforms under the Program of Medical Guarantees (PMG), with a focus on priority service areas including rehabilitation, mental health care, and emergency medical services (EMS), as well as broader health financing priorities related to governance and European Union (EU) accession.

Background:

Since 2015, the Government of Ukraine has implemented fundamental reforms to its health financing system with the objectives of improving access to health care and strengthening financial protection against excessive out-of-pocket payments. These reforms culminated in the adoption of the Law on State Financial Guarantees of Medical Services to the Population (2017), which established a unified benefits package - the Program of Medical Guarantees (PMG) - and created a single national purchaser, the National Health Service of Ukraine (NHSU). Under this model, explicit entitlements are guaranteed for all residents of Ukraine, and public health financing has become increasingly centralized, replacing a previously fragmented and decentralized system.

A recent WHO–World Bank Health Financing Review found that, despite the COVID-19 pandemic and the full-scale invasion by the Russian Federation, Ukraine has maintained strong institutional capacity within the NHSU and the Ministry of Health (MoH) to finance health services under the PMG. Health financing instruments introduced through the reforms have proven adaptable under crisis conditions, enabling international partners to channel financial support through the national budget and supporting continuity of priority health services.

Building on these foundations, WHO is supporting key national stakeholders, including the NHSU, MoH, and Ministry of Finance, to further strengthen health financing arrangements, with particular focus on improving the financing of priority services such as rehabilitation, mental health care, and emergency medical services. WHO’s support also contributes to strengthening governance of the PMG, advancing reforms aligned with EU accession requirements, and ensuring that financing arrangements promote equitable, efficient, and sustainable access to care.

This consultancy will support WHO’s technical assistance by generating evidence, developing policy-relevant technical products, and contributing to coordination and capacity-building activities in health financing.

Deliverables:

Methods to carry out the activity

The consultant will apply the following methods to deliver the assignment:

• Conduct desk reviews of health financing systems, policies, and strategies in Ukraine and relevant regional contexts;
• Collect, document, analyze, and synthesize relevant data and information based on reviewed materials, consultations, and inputs from WHO meetings and discussions;
• Develop technical documents and analytical products tailored to the Ukrainian context;
• Provide technical advice through preparation of policy briefs, analytical notes, and data visualizations for decision-makers and other audiences;
• Support organization, facilitation, and documentation of meetings and technical discussions.

Outputs and tasks

Under the supervision of the WHO Technical Officer for Health Financing, the consultant will:

• Provide technical support for the development of country-level technical products in the following priority areas: rehabilitation financing, mental health financing, and emergency medical services (EMS) financing.
• Generate evidence and analytical inputs related to health financing reform priorities, including: strengthening health financing systems in the context of EU accession, with a focus on governance of the PMG and cross-border care; strengthening purchasing of priority and specialized health services; and improving financial protection for the population.
• Support the Technical Officer in the organization and delivery of WHO health financing meetings, working groups, workshops, trainings, and webinars planned for 2026.

Deliverables:

Deliverable 1. Technical documents developed to support health financing policy development and reform in Ukraine, with a particular focus on recommendations for PMG changes for 2027 related to rehabilitation care, mental health care, and emergency medical services.

Deliverable 2. Technical inputs and drafting support provided for regulations and policy documents related to health financing reform and EU accession, including governance arrangements for the PMG.

Deliverable 3. Technical documentation was prepared and support was provided for the organization and delivery of WHO health financing meetings (including working groups and technical meetings), workshops, webinars, and training activities planned for 2026.

Qualifications, experience, skills and languages:

Educational Qualifications:

Essential: Bachelor’s degree in medicine, health financing or management, public health, or a related field.

Experience:

Essential: At least two years of relevant professional experience at national level in health financing, health system development, or a related field.

Desirable:

• Four years of relevant professional experience at national or international level in health financing, health economics, health system development, or a related field;

• Experience preparing technical health financing reports, analyses, or monitoring outputs;

• Experience working with or within the National Health Service of Ukraine or the Ministry of Health of Ukraine.

Skills/Knowledge:

Essential:

• Ability to work collaboratively in a team and deliver outputs under tight deadlines;
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to work independently with limited supervision;
• Strong report-writing skills in English and Ukrainian;
• Demonstrated quantitative skills to generate evidence for health system strengthening.

Desirable:

• Knowledge of the design and implementation of the Program of Medical Guarantees in Ukraine;
• Demonstrated ability to coordinate with multiple institutions, including MoH, NHSU, and WHO;
• Strong data analysis and visualization skills.

Languages and level required:

Essential: Expert knowledge of English and Ukrainian

Location

On-site: WHO Kyiv Office, Kyiv

Travel:

The consultant is expected to travel, within Ukraine (1–2 trips), subject to the security situation

Remuneration:

Contract total value: USD 35 002

Monthly rate, daily rate and numbers of the days: Monthly rate USD 3 182 for 11 months (full-time)

Consultant pay band range: Pay band level B

Terms of payment: The payment will be on a monthly basis after provision of Technical Report and approval from Responsible Officer.

Expected duration of contract:

Target Start Date: 1 February 2026

Target end date: 31 December 2026

Contract Duration (Years, Months, Days): 11 months

Additional Information:

• This vacancy notice may be used to identify candidates for other similar consultancies at the same level.
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