Programme Officer (System Developer, District Health Information System 2)

WHO, as the directing and coordinating authority on international health within the United Nations system, adheres to the UN values of integrity, professionalism, and respect for diversity. The values of the WHO workforce furthermore reflect the principles of human rights, universality and equity established in WHO’s Constitution as well as the ethical standards of the Organization.

These values are inspired by the WHO vision of a world in which all peoples attain the highest possible level of health, and our mission to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable, with measurable impact for people at country level. We are individually and collectively committed to put these values into practice.

The WHO Country Office collaborates with the Government of Bangladesh and relevant stakeholders under the Country Cooperation Strategy (CCS) to provide technical assistance in developing national health policies, strategies and action plans, and strengthening systems, frameworks and tools for monitoring and evaluation to improve access to quality, affordable, integrated and people-centred health services. The Communicable Diseases Surveillance (CDS) Unit supports the Government in achieving national health goals by providing technical assistance in policy development, strategic planning, surveillance, implementation of WHO norms and standards, knowledge management and institutional capacity strengthening. The Unit contributes to national, regional and global initiatives for the prevention, control, elimination and surveillance of communicable diseases, including HIV, tuberculosis, malaria, viral hepatitis, cholera, neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), and other vector-, food- and water-borne diseases.

NTDs are a group of preventable and treatable communicable diseases that disproportionately affect poor and vulnerable populations. Bangladesh has achieved remarkable progress, including WHO validation of the elimination of Kala-azar and Lymphatic Filariasis as public health problems. Sustaining these achievements requires strong post-validation surveillance, integrated vector management, timely case detection and response, and robust health information systems to prevent disease re-emergence. WHO supports the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) in strengthening surveillance, reporting, data management and programme implementation for priority NTDs, including Kala-azar, Lymphatic Filariasis, Dengue, Leprosy, Rabies, Snakebite Envenoming, Soil-Transmitted Helminthiases (STH), Skin NTDs and other vector-borne diseases. A key priority is to institutionalize a DHIS2 (District Health Information System 2)-based surveillance platform to improve data quality, interoperability, real-time reporting, analysis and evidence-based decision-making, contributing to national health priorities, Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and the WHO NTD Road Map 2021–2030.

WHO Bangladesh also supports the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in strengthening digital health information systems for noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), mental health and shared behavioural risk factors.

This assignment will support the development, customization, integration and optimization of DHIS2 modules for priority NTDs while facilitating integration of selected NCD and mental health information systems into the national digital health architecture. It will strengthen surveillance, programme monitoring, interoperability, data quality, real-time reporting and evidence-based decision-making through an integrated DHIS2 platform. The assignment will also strengthen post-validation surveillance for Kala-azar and Lymphatic Filariasis, improve early case detection and response, build national capacity through system development and user training, and promote effective use of quality data to improve programme performance and reduce morbidity and mortality among vulnerable populations.

Under the overall supervision of the WHO Medical Officer-CDS (Communicable Diseases) and direct supervision of National Professional Officer (NPO)- NTD, Vector Borne Diseases and One Health, and in close collaboration with CDS and NCD & Mental Health team members, the incumbent will have to perform the activities as described below:

• Design, configure, and customize DHIS2 modules (Tracker, Event, and Aggregate) for priority eliminating NTDs, including vector borne diseases such as Kala-azar Lymphatic Filariasis, Dengue, Leprosy, Rabies, Snake bite envenoming, STH , skin NTDs etc., in coordination with WHO and relevant department/ programme of DGHS.

• Incorporate updated case reporting forms, including geo-location data capture, and develop required data elements, option sets, program rules, indicators, datasets, and validation rules as per programme requirements.

• Support the development, configuration and integration of standardized DHIS2 metadata, indicators, datasets, reporting forms, validation rules and dashboards for selected noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), mental health and behavioural risk-factor programmes, in collaboration with the WHO NCD and Mental Health team, MIS-DGHS and relevant programme managers.

• Support harmonization and interoperability of communicable disease, NCD and mental health reporting systems within the national digital health architecture, including DHIS2, electronic medical records and other national digital health platforms, where appropriate.

• Provide technical support for the development of programme monitoring dashboards, cohort monitoring tools, routine reports and data visualization products for NCDs, mental health and selected behavioural risk-factor programmes to strengthen evidence-informed programme management and decision-making.

• Develop conditional (cascading) dropdown menus to facilitate hierarchical selection of District, Upazila, Union, and other administrative units within DHIS2 data entry forms.

• Troubleshoot and resolve system issues, including user roles, permissions, program assignments, and organizational unit assignments across different NTD reporting sites.

• Ensure compliance with national digital health standards and maintain the smooth operation of the DHIS2 data flow network.

• Develop customized dashboards and analytics tools to support monitoring and decision-making for priority NTD programmes.

• Map and migrate data fields from old tracker programmes to updated tracker configurations, and support capacity building on data use, visualization, and data quality improvement, particularly for the Kala-azar programme.

• Develop user manuals, standard operating procedures (SOPs), data entry guidelines, tutorials, and technical documentation for DHIS2 applications supporting communicable diseases, NCDs, mental health and related programme areas for service providers, statisticians, data managers, and other relevant programme staff.

• Conduct hands-on training sessions for national and sub national staff on DHIS2 configuration, data entry, reporting, analyzing , data use and visualization, dashboard use, data quality assurance and system operation during piloting and implementation phases for communicable diseases, NCDs and mental health programmes.