Health Consultants for Rapid Results Health Project (RRHP), Bor and Malakal, South Sudan (Open to nationals of South Sudan)

UNICEF South Sudan Office is looking for 4 Health Consultants for Rapid Results Health Project (RRHP), Bor and Malakal, South Sudan. These consultancies are open to nationals of South Sudan only.

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Background and Justification

After decades of conflict, massive displacement of the population, widespread insecurity, and lack of public funding, the health care system as well as the health status of the people of South Sudan has suffered enormously. After gaining independence in 2011, South Sudan enjoyed relative peace and progress till December 2013 when internal conflict arose between government and opposition. This further worsened in 2016 leading to massive displacement of population especially in the two former States of Upper Nile and Jonglei. Though incomplete, health status indicators are grim. The under-five mortality rate and maternal mortality ratio are among the highest in the world. According to the Ministry of Health (SSHS 2010 survey), malnutrition among children is widespread (stunting = 31%, wasting = 23%, and severe underweight = 12.5%), and tropical diseases, largely controlled in other countries, account for a considerable proportion of the total burden of disease. Infectious disease epidemics are common. The available information suggests that HIV prevalence estimates from location-specific surveys are as high as 8% among adults in some areas. Adult HIV/AIDS prevalence in many areas has exceeded 1%. The annual incidence of tuberculosis in South Sudan is among the highest in the world, estimated at 325 per 100,000 people.

 

The high child mortality is due mainly to limited coverage of low cost, high impact interventions that prevent and treat common childhood illnesses, despite large amounts of external assistance and relative peace and security after the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA). According to the SSHHS 2010, less than half of children under 6 months were exclusive breastfed and one in five children aged 6-8 months received complementing feeding. When children under five were sick with diarrhoea and fever, only about a quarter of them got adequate care: 23% of children with diarrhoea received oral rehydration therapy with continued feeding and 24% of children with fever took anti-malarial drug on the same or next day. Less than 7% of children aged 12-23 months were fully immunised and 4% children aged 6-59 month received a vitamin A supplementation. According to the UN Interagency Group for Child Mortality Estimation, in 2016, under five mortality rate remained relatively high at 91 per 1000 live births with infant mortality rate at 59 per thousand – far off the SDG target of less than 12 for all countries. According to 2017 MOH administrative data, the proportion of children immunised with Penta3 and Measles at 12 months is only 59% and 75% respectively.

 

Low coverage of key maternal health interventions, early marriage and high fertility rate have caused the highest maternal mortality in the world. According to MOH HMIS data for 2016, only 50% received at least one antenatal care and 9% were assisted by skilled personnel during delivery. Caesarean section rate remains at less than 1% of all deliveries – far lower than the WHO recommendation of between 10-15%.

 

What is more worrisome is that, according to the last two available population based surveys, there has been little improvement in service delivery in South Sudan for the last five years and coverage of some essential services notably Vitamin A supplementation and immunisation appear to have even deteriorated

The MOH has appointed UNICEF to work as Coordination and Service Delivery Organisation (CSDO) of the Rapid Result Health Programme (RRHP) funded by the World Bank, to be responsible at state level (Jonglei and Upper Nile) to coordinate service delivery and strengthen the capacity of State Ministry of Health (SMOH) and county health departments (CHDs) for a period of three months.

In this context, several SSA of 3 months are highly needed to fill the gap and allow UNICEF to achieve the objectives expected by end of its agreement with MOH.

Scope of Work

 

• Goal and Objective:

 

 

Technical Support to the Health Officers in Jonglei and Upper Nile States, including planning, implementation, coordination, supportive supervision of Health activities under the RRHP project.

 

• Reference to work plan

 

 

　This assignment fulfils the South Sudan Annual Work Plan (AWP) 2017-2018, Program Outcome: Improved and equitable use of health and HIV/AIDS services by infants, children, adolescents and pregnant women, especially the poor and marginalized by December 2018

　Output 1: Immunizations systems strengthened to deliver routine and supplementary services across the country.

Output 2: Improved capacity to provide integrated case management services for common childhood illnesses in emergency and non-emergency settings

Output 3: Strengthened systems to deliver integrated MNH/PMTCT/EID and Birth Registration services to pregnant and lactating women and new-born in emergency and non-emergency settings.

Output 4 : Respond to disease outbreak and humanitarian needs as per the UNICEF core commitment for children and HCT Plan.

Output 5: Enhanced enabling policy and institutional environment is enhanced for effective scaling up and implementation of MNCH services and humanitarian response

Output 6 : provide technical support to the UN Coherence and Country Programme sitting by December 2018.

　Activities and Tasks

 

　

The Consultants will provide technical Support to the health Officer in Bor or Malakal field office for the implementation of the RRHP in the following areas:

　

Support to program development and planning

Participate in UNICEF field office strategic discussion for the planning of the RRPH health program and activities.

Program management, monitoring and delivery of results

• Work closely and collaboratively with internal and external colleagues and partners in the field to discuss operational and implementation issues, provide solutions, recommendations and/or alert appropriate officials and stakeholders for higher-level intervention and/or decision.

 

• Keep record of reports for easy reference and/or to capture and institutionalize lessons learned.

 

• Participate in monitoring activities and RRPH program reviews with government and other counterparts to assess programs and report on required action/interventions at the higher level of program management.

 

Technical and operational support to program implementation

• Conduct regular program field visits to assess progress and ensure that results are achieved by implementing partners and verified at County and State level. Provide technical support, take appropriate action to resolve issues and/or refer to relevant officials for resolution. Report to supervisor on critical issues, bottlenecks and potential problems for timely action to achieve results.

 

• Perform frequent supervision visits to implementing partners, health facilities and communities targeted by the project as per agreed planning and using MOH’s quantitative supervisory checklist (QSC):

 

• to assess and monitor the delivery of high impact PHC services in health facilities and counties targeted by the project

 

• to improve quality of care provided in health facilities targeted by the project, by providing technical support and in-service training/mentorship to existing health workers based on assessed needs; by disseminating and enforcing the MOH’s written protocols and technical standards and by identifying gaps in skilled health workers at facility level

 

• to report any misuse of pharmaceuticals, essential drugs and medical supplies observed during supervision visits

 

• Elaborate and submit supervision visit reports, highlighting findings of each supervision visit and corrective actions to be taken to ensure effective delivery of quality PHC services

 

• Strengthen the management capacity of the State Ministry of Health (SMOH) and County Health Departments (CHDs) in providing the delivery of high impact PHC services and in carryout out their key stewardship functions, specifically:

 

• the conduct of systematic and supportive supervision of service delivery at all health facilities using the quantitative supervisory checklist (QSC);

 

• the effective coordination of all health partners at County and State level to harmonize activities

 

• the implementation of the MOH's standard recording and reporting systems, including the health management information system (HMIS) and the Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (IDSR).　

 

• Coordinate with relevant implementing partners to provide a timely and adequate response to epidemics or other health emergencies, if needs arise.　

 

• On a monthly basis, collect and analyse all relevant data and information to gauge the progress of achievement of 　results under the agreement. The data will come from various sources (i) the MOH’s health management information system (HMIS); (ii) the MOH’s quantitative supervisory checklist (QSC);　 and (iii) internal monitoring, spot check, auditing and verification mechanisms currently used by UNICEF or newly designed for this activity.　

 

　Networking and partnership building

• Build and sustain effective close working partnerships with health government counterparts and stakeholders 　at State and County level through active sharing of information and knowledge to enhance program implementation and build capacity of stakeholders to deliver concrete and sustainable results.

 

• Participate in relevant meetings on the RRHP program with Implementing partners, CHD and other relevant stakeholders

 

Work relationships　

 

The Consultants will be supervised hierarchically by the Chief Field Office of Bor and Malakal, and technically to the Health Officer in Bor and Malakal Office. The consultants will be based in Bor and Malakal, with regular visits in Jonglei and Upper Nile counties. The consultants shall have regular interactions with other team members from others sections based in Bor and Malakal, including WASH, Child Protection, Communication for Development (C4D) Nutrition and Education officers at the various stages of this consultancy to assess the situation/assignment and leverage linkages, synergies and integration.

Outputs and deliverables

 

The table below sets out the expected deliverables with estimated timelines:

　

Objective	Activity	Timeline
To monitor project activities and provide monthly reports　 to assess achievements of the progress of achievement of 　results under the agreement.	-　Participate to strategic planning discussion on RRHP -Perform supervision visits to implementing partners, health facilities and communities targeted by the project as per agreed planning -Conduct on the job training and coaching, as needed -Participate to meetings at County and State level, as relevant -Collect and analyse data to elaborate monthly reports using HIMS and QSC checklist data	Monthly 20 July to 19 October

Payment Schedule

 

Three payments will be made for this contract upon competition of distinct deliverables rates as high quality standard. 　The consultant will submit monthly reports as precondition for the monthly payments.

• Desired competencies, technical background and experience

 

UNICEF’s core values of Commitment, Diversity and Integrity and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

The technical competencies required for this post are….

View our competency framework at

　http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/files/UNICEF_Competencies.pdf

• Minimum qualifications & experience required.

 

• University degree in Medicine, Social Sciences, Health, Public Health, Family Health, Child Development, Nursing, Bachelor Degree in Public Health and Health Promotion, Diploma in Clinical Medicine and Public Health or a field relevant to international development assistance in Immunization and Child Survival & Health Care.

 

• Five years of relevant professional work experience. Experience working in the UN or other international development organizations. Field work experience.　 Experience in knowledge management. Training and mentoring experience in Primary health Care.

 

• Excellent facilitation/mentoring skills

 

• Proficiency in the use of Word, Excel, PowerPoint

 

• Fluency in English and local working language of the duty station.

 

　Administrative issues

The assignment will be supervised through the Bor and Malakal Field Offices, and technically through the health Specialist focal point of Jonglei State and Malakal State.

　Conditions

　The Consultant will bring his own:

• Medical insurance

 

• Health fitness check-up report　 　

 

　Risks

Insecurity remains a serious protection concern in the project location. In case of any insecurity or other factors affecting the consultancy, UNICEF Country Office will take appropriate actions-including delayed implementation, temporary or permanent suspension of this consultancy.

　How to Apply

The contract will be for 3 months covering the period from 20 July 2018. The applicant should submit the following:

1. a. A short CV (no more than 4 pages)
2. b. A cover letter.
3. c. Please indicate your professional fee quotation for this assignment.
4.  
5. UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages qualified female and male candidates from all national, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

Remarks:

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.