National Consultant

Objective of the programme

Snakebite is a persistent predominantly a rural emergency health problem in Bangladesh. Most common victims are young, working rural people engaged in farming and cultivation making snakebite an important occupational health hazard. There is an estimation of ~6000 deaths and 700000 bites annually imposing a great burden on health care system and also economy of the country. The incidence is likely to increase during natural disasters like floods. Snakebite is also associated with an unknown number of significant disabilities. Bangladesh has a continued interest in addressing snakebite. Bangladesh is committed to provide quality care to the affected community in conditions related to providing universal health care (UHC). Snakebite envenoming is preventable. The risk for snakebite envenoming can be reduced through community education and often through measures for preventing other diseases.

In 2019, WHO released full details of its strategy (2019-2030) to prevent and control snakebite envenoming, a neglected tropical disease that affects 1.8–2.7 million people each year, claiming 81 000–138 000 lives and causing 400 000 cases of permanent disability. The WHO SEA regional office also released the draft regional strategy and action plan for snakebite envenoming for mitigation of snakebite in the member countries. The aims of the both document is to halve the numbers of deaths and cases of disability due to snakebite envenoming over the next 12 years through a programme that targets affected communities and their health systems, and by ensuring access to safe, effective treatment through increased cooperation, collaboration and partnership at all levels. In addition, WHO published a roadmap for Neglected Tropical Diseases (2021-2030).

To achieve the global target, it requires development of a national strategy and development of costed action plan regarding snakebite programme and to engage across all relevant sectors for increased action and coordination.

NCDC program under DGHS and MoH&FW, is in charge for snake bite related activities and responsible for coordinating among multi-sector stakeholders at different level as well as policy guidance, evidence uptake in policy making .Under 4th HPNSP and in the NCDC operational plan, strengthening National snakebite envenoming program has been envisaged as an important activity to improve multisectoral, multi-stakeholder and multilevel implementation of Snakebite specific and sensitive approaches. Considering the fact, NCDC is therefore, planned to develop national strategy and costed action plan for prevention and control of snakebite envenoming. To achieve the global target, it requires revision/development of a national strategy and development of costed action plan regarding snakebite programme and to engage across all relevant sectors for increased action and coordination. In this regard, Director NCDC, DGHS, MoH&FW has requested to engage two consultants for short time to support development of national strategy and costed action plan for prevention and control of snakebite envenoming so that these huge activities as per WHO Global and regional guidance can be adopted by the national program of Bangladesh. The action plan and its costing should be developed based on the national strategy. Therefore, development of national strategy, action plan and costing of the action plan need to be implemented simultaneously in order to allow consultants to communicate and coordinate with each other so that they can review unit cost, implementation challenges and feasibilities and resolve those accordingly in order to have a realistic national action plan. The national strategy and costed action plan will be used to strengthen the national program in terms of service quality and resource mobilization.

Description of duties:

The incumbent will provide support through performing of the following duties:

• Review the Global and available national documents regarding snakebite and other relevant public health related documents including costing of other public health policies and action plans to develop the costed action plan as per agreed national strategies;
• Finalize the costed national action plan for national snakebite program in consultation with relevant stakeholders and incorporating recommendation received from them.
• Submit the final costed action plan in line with national strategic plan.
• Collaborate and coordinate with another consultant who will support to develop national strategic plan and the action plan to review implementation challenges and feasibilities of the action plan and resolve those accordingly in order to have a realistic action plan.
• Support finalization of costed national action plan following the process i.e. prepare draft report, sharing with relevant stakeholders, collection and incorporation of recommendations of stakeholders, finalization of the costing of action plan
• Submit final documents
• Perform any other relevant/similar duties as required

Required Qualifications:

Education:

Essential:

Advanced University degree in economics or health economics. Postgraduate degree in public health/health economics or equivalent. Advanced training in costing of public health policies with experience in Global or regional perspective.

Desirable:

Experience on economic analysis/costing of health policies/strategies

Experience:

Essential:

• The consultant must have comprehensive understanding of the costing/unit price fixation for public health relevant policies and minimum ten (10) years of professional experience in dealing with economic evaluation/ costing of relevant public policies, legislations, plans and strategies of Bangladesh. Evidences of engagement on national policy formulation and review in Bangladesh and international is required.
• Excellent knowledge and experience on economic analysis, costing, and budget analysis, and in-depth knowledge of the Bangladesh health system.
• Comprehensive understanding or experience in development of or dealing with country policies, national action plan, HPN sector plan, strategies of development entities is required.

Desirable:

• Familiar with public as well as development partners’ policies, priorities, structure and procedures relevant to NTDs/Snakebite.
• Member of any committees of Bangladesh National CDC/NTDs/Snakebite or any other public health committee will be an added advantage.
• Working experience in WHO, Government of Bangladesh and /or other UN agencies would be an advantage

Competencies:

• Technical expertise
• Fostering integration and teamwork
• Producing results
• Communicating in effective and credible way
• Building and promoting partnerships across the organization and beyond

Languages:

Strong (written and oral) command of English and Bangla

Computer Literacy

Excellent knowledge of MS office applications and computer skills including the ability to make high quality technical presentations and data analysis

Additional functional knowledge and skills:

Strong written communication and analytical skills is required. At least three national or international publications in English is desirable. Similar consultancy (costing of policy related or analytical report) with international agencies/ national program in English is required.

Salary & others benefits:

Monthly salary: BDT 640,871.00 ( NO-C Min)

Limited Insurance Coverage as per WHO rules.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

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

• Only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted.
• A written test and /or a presentation using computer followed by an interview will be held only for qualifying candidates.
• In the event that your candidature is retained for an interview, you will be required to provide, in advance, a scanned copy of the degree(s)/diploma(s)/certificate(s) required for this position. WHO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU)/United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed through the link: http://www.whed.net/. Some professional certificates may not appear in the WHED and will require individual review.
• Any appointment/extension of appointment is subject to availability of fund and performance.
• For information on WHO's operations please visit: http://www.who.int.
• WHO is committed to workforce diversity.
• WHO's workforce adheres to the WHO Values Charter and is committed to put the WHO Values into practice.
• WHO has a smoke-free environment and does not recruit smokers or users of any form of tobacco.

• This post is subject to local recruitment and will be filled by persons recruited in the local commuting area of the duty station.
• This vacancy is open to Bangladeshi Nationals (all genders) only.

• Qualified female candidates are encouraged to apply.

• Any attempt to unduly influence on WHO’s selection process will lead to automatic disqualification of the applicant