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Technical Advisor on Solar Powered Oxygen System- Consultancy- Roster

Multiple locations

  • Organization: WHO - World Health Organization
  • Location: Multiple locations
  • Grade: Consultancy - International Consultant - Internationally recruited Contractors Agreement
  • Occupational Groups:
    • Renewable Energy sector
    • Ebola
    • Project and Programme Management
  • Closing Date: Closed

  1. Area of expertise :

Technical Advisor on Solar Powered Oxygen System- Consultancy- Roster

  1. Purpose of consultancy

This consultancy is intended to provide technical advice and support to WCO Somalia in planning, development, implementation, and technical evaluation of Solar Powered Oxygen Scale up projects.

  1. Background

Oxygen is an essential medicine for managing severe pneumonia which is the leading cause of childhood deaths globally. Timely access to medical oxygen reduces not only such deaths but also a fundamental component of every secondary and tertiary level hospital in the health care system, especially for treating patients with breathing difficulties and medical emergencies. Despite the paramount importance in the management of life-threatening health conditions, oxygen is not available in many under-resourced health facilities in low-income countries.

Somalia ranked 2nd among 178 countries in the Fragile States Index 2019 and has remained in the top three for the past 13 years. Essential health services coverage was just 27% in 2016 and according to WHO Service Availability & Readiness Assessment (SARA) 2016/2017, for the whole of Somalia, there is one health facility per 17,264 population with 2 health workers per 100,000 population. The country’s under-5 child mortality rate, neonatal mortality rate and maternal mortality ratio are far behind the levels required to meet the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. Approximately 21% of child deaths were due to pneumonia in 2018, and it was also the biggest killer of children under-five in 2017.

Triggered by the COVID-19 outbreak, the World Health Organization (WHO) Somalia Country Office has supported the ministry of health conducting a rapid biomedical equipment assessment across the country in April 2020. Oxygen availability was limited or inexistent in health facilities found during the assessment. In order to improve this “oxygen gap” particularly in the pediatric wards, the World Health Organization (WHO) in collaboration with the Somali Ministry of Health and other UN agencies has designed a strategic scale up of medical oxygen across the country. Focused to achieve a longer-term goal, the oxygen scale up strategy in Somalia included:

- Short-term solution through conventional Oxygen concentrator machine. A total of 200 oxygen concentrators were procured and distributed by WHO and UNICEF across the country

- Long-term solution through Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) system/ oxygen generation plant

- Innovation in saving lives WHO’s support to the innovative piloting of 03 units of Solar Powered Oxygen systems at the Hanaano General Hospital, Dhushamareb, Galmudug state through the collaborations across departments and different UN agencies and implementing partners have showcased the potential of saving thousands of children’s lives dying from Pneumonia each year in Somalia, while also addressing the acute need of life-saving oxygen for COVID-19 patients in a more affordable and sustainable way.

  1. Deliverables

Output 1: Advice and provide technical expertise to the WCO technical team to plan and implement Solar- Powered Oxygen Scale up projects

o Deliverable 1.1: Coordinate the conduction of the baseline assessment for identified health facilities using standard tools

o Deliverable 1.2: Identify gaps and potentials for Solar Powered Oxygen Scale up

o Deliverable 1.3: Monitor the progress of installation,

o Deliverable 1.4: Develop training materials and guide the training of health care workers

Output 2: Develop guidelines and observation checklist to Evaluate the utilization of the system and provide technical update

o Deliverable 2.1: Develop guidelines and observation checklist to Monitor and evaluate the utilization of Solar-Powered Oxygen systems, and provide technical advice on rational use and maintenance

o Deliverable 2.2: Provide monthly technical update on utilization, energy consumption, identified challenges and way forwards

Output 3: Lead the process of documenting the best practices, lessons learnt and research in the context of fragile health care system

o Deliverable 3.1: Develop a comprehensive evidence-based and context-specific manual to document all challenges, best practices and lessons learnt during the project planning, implementation, and evaluation

o Deliverable 3.2: Conduct implementation research and develop a manuscript on feasibility, utilization, cost effectiveness and survival in a complex context like Somalia

  1. Qualifications, experience, skills and languages

Essential qualifications:

Advance university degree in Biomedical Engineering, Medicine, Medical Science, Public Health, Epidemiology. Advanced university degree is defined as master’s level degree or above.

Experience required:

- At least 7 to 10 years’ experience in the relevant field and proven experience of implementing similar projects in low and middle resource settings.

- Familiarity with the Somalia context, proven evidence of research skills and relevant publications

Skills/Technical skills and knowledge:

Reviewing and technical analysis

Analytical writing

Excellent communication skills operating within a multicultural team

Ability to function independently and drive required change in implementation

Language requirements:

Expert knowledge of English is required.

  1. Location

On site

  1. Travel

The consultant is expected work remotely and consistently support the WCO team. One or two travels to Somalia will be needed and requested when the security and epidemiological situation allows.

  1. Remuneration and budget (travel costs are excluded):
    1. Remuneration: band level B
    2. Expected duration of contract (Maximum contract duration is 11 months per calendar year): less than 6 months (exact dates to be decided)

Additional Information:

  • This vacancy notice may be used to identify candidates for other similar consultancies at the same level.
  • Successful candidates will be placed on the roster and subsequently may be selected for consultancy assignments falling in this area of work or for similar requirements/tasks/deliverables. Inclusion in the Roster does not guarantee selection to a consultant contract. There is no commitment on either side.
  • Only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted.
  • Interested candidates are strongly encouraged to apply on-line. For assessment of your application, please ensure that your profile on Stellis is updated; all experience records are entered with elaboration on tasks performed at the time. Kindly note that CV/PHFs inserted via LinkedIn are not accessible.
  • A written test may be used as a form of screening.
  • If your candidature is retained for 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.
  • For information on WHO's operations please visit: http://www.who.int.
  • WHO is committed to workforce diversity.
  • WHO has a smoke-free environment and does not recruit smokers or users of any form of tobacco.
  • Applications from women and from nationals of non and underrepresented Member States are particularly encouraged.
  • WHO prides itself on a workforce that adheres to the highest ethical and professional standards and that is committed to put the WHO Values Charter into practice.
  • WHO has zero tolerance towards sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA), sexual harassment and other types of abusive conduct (i.e., discrimination, abuse of authority and harassment). All members of the WHO workforce have a role to play in promoting a safe and respectful workplace and should report to WHO any actual or suspected cases of SEA, sexual harassment and other types of abusive conduct. To ensure that individuals with a substantiated history of SEA, sexual harassment or other types of abusive conduct are not hired by the Organization, WHO will conduct a background verification of final candidates.
  • Consultants shall perform the work as independent contractors in a personal capacity, and not as a representative of any entity or authority. The execution of the work under a consultant contract does not create an employer/employee relationship between WHO and the Consultant.
  • WHO shall have no responsibility whatsoever for any taxes, duties, social security contributions or other contributions payable by the Consultant. The Consultant shall be solely responsible for withholding and paying any taxes, duties, social security contributions and any other contributions which are applicable to the Consultant in in each location/jurisdiction in which the work hereunder is performed, and the Consultant shall not be entitled to any reimbursement thereof by WHO.
This vacancy is now closed.
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