Comparative analysis of Community Health Information systems in use in Uganda, Kampala, 3.5 Months

Contract

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UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child, a fair chance

Uganda is one of the over 190 countries and territories around the world where we work to overcome the obstacles that poverty, violence, disease, and discrimination place in a child’s path. Together with the Government of Uganda and partners we work towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals, the objectives of the Uganda National Development Plan, and the planned outcomes of the United Nations Development Assistance Framework.

Visit this link for more information on Uganda Country Office https://www.unicef.org/uganda/

How can you make a difference?

The Intelligent Community Health Information Systems (iCoHS) Project

The Intelligent Community Health Information Systems (iCoHS) project is part of a bigger collaboration between UNICEF, The World Health Organization, the Rockefeller foundation and other funding agencies through a strategic collaboration for Precision Public Health. The Precision Public Health Initiative aims to leverage data and analytic tools to accelerate progress on the world’s greatest public health challenges, starting with reducing maternal and child deaths in low- and middle-income countries. The initiative aims at making community health more proactive and responsive to patient and population needs by among other things:

1. Use of predictive analytics to prevent rather than respond to public health issues
2. Leveraging big data on social determinants of health
3. Empowering community health workers to reach more people

In Uganda, the intelligent Community Health Information Systems (iCoHS) Project started as part of a regional project targeting Uganda as a learning hub. The objectives of the iCoHS in Uganda were three-fold as follows:

1. Strengthening strategic and implementation framework on community health and community health information systems.
2. Improving governance and coordination among partners to reduce fragmentation and support integration of the various initiatives supported by partners.
3. Strengthening the capture, quality and use of community data to optimize and enhance community based-service delivery.

Community Health Information System (CHIS) in use in Uganda

The Ministry of Health has been implementing Community Health Information System (CHIS) using three different approaches: one is a fully digitalized approach, the second is a hybrid approach based on smart paper technology, and the third is paper-based approach using HMIS registry book.

Electronic Health Management Information System (eHMIS), a fully digitized system has been introduced to capture the data and support reporting the data in real-time, thereby enabling effective data management and improving quality of care compared to a traditional paper-based system. However, the country is still prevalently using the paper-based system and semi-digitalized system due to limited resources settings.

The Ministry of Health has been piloting a Smart Paper Technology (SPT) to support the area of immunization registry system and child growth monitoring services in Mukono and Wakiso districts as an initial step in 2018. The Smart Paper Technology (SPT) is based on scan technology that can be used to ease the process of digitalizing health records for health facilities having the following issues; lack of infrastructure in most health service delivery points, weak technical support structures at district and facility level, and high operating costs which hinders sustainable implementation of fully digitized systems by MoH.

This pilot is currently working only at a few high-volume facilities (HC III and above) in Mukono district and still in the pilot stage. Moreover, there is still minimal interoperability of the instances within and across implementing health facilities. One of the programme areas under consideration is to support digitalized community health reporting using Smart Paper Technology (SPT) and thus it leads to a great need for information on key aspects of different health information system tools to support decision making on which tools can be appropriate for implementation at scale with both functional and geographic conditions.

Purpose of the assignment

Under the overall supervision and guidance of the Health System Strengthening (HSS) unit and the Division of Health Information in the Ministry of Health, the Consultant will:

1. Document the situation (genesis, achievements, challenges, lessons learned and prospects) for all the three health information system approaches (e.g. paper-based HMIS, Smart Paper Technology (SPT) based approach, and a fully digitalized HMIS approach).
2. Assess the selected information system tools based on globally known and accepted framework:
   1. Bring systemic change: convenience, efficiency and well-functioning

• System/environment prospective: required conditions (network/software, infrastructure/electricity, electronic equipment), adoption; system quality (this component addresses whether a system has the required functionality to support the work in question, and involves issues such as functionality, integration with other systems, performance, stability, and ease of use)
• User perspective: reduced administrative time and workload of VHTs, data clerks (at health facility), and district biostatisticians (at district level), data literacy, user’s satisfaction; service quality (addresses the support available to users of a system); and use (intention to use and user satisfaction)
• Data perspective: collect reliable data (data errors/quality), data storage, reporting, use (clean, process, analyse & synthesize) for decision making, data re-use (interoperability).; Information and/or Data Quality (concerns whether the data in each of the systems are relevant, comprehensive, precise, and provide an adequate overview of clinical work).
  2. Economic analysis
• Cost-effectiveness: compare all costs including time, inception costs, operational costs, maintenance/management, and future prospective costs
• Cost/benefit analysis: what are the net benefits of each information system tool?
  3. Sustainability: running costs in the long term (based on existing MoH budget) and user fidelity

Scalability: possibility of integration of other components under HMIS; and geographic scale i.e., nationwide scale and phasing.

The key responsibilities will include:

• Develop an inception report detailing the understanding of the assignment and the methodology to be employed. As part of the inception report, develop a detailed research protocol, activity schedule and costed workplan.
• Lead, supervise and ensure high quality field data collection is undertaken.
• Compile a concise report incorporating literature reviewed, evidence from field work and develop information products for dissemination
• Hold a validation meeting first with the Division of Health Information and then the HIIRE TWG and incorporate suggested improvements to the information products

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

Education

• Advanced university degree (Masters / PhD) in health informatics, public health, computer science, social/political sciences or other relevant field

Work Experience

• 7 – 8 years post qualification relevant professional work experience at national and/or international level in analysis and/or research and/or communication/advocacy in the area of public health, digital health, primary health care, community health programming
• Extensive experience producing high quality research outputs on in the relevant field.
• Extensive experience in evaluating economic analysis of digital health and health information systems (cost-effectiveness and cost-benefit analysis) will be an advantage
• Knowledge of the Uganda health system or experience working in Uganda is an advantage.

Key Competencies

• Excellent analytical, communication, advocacy and research skills;
• Computer literacy, especially MS Office programmes, is required;
• Fluency in English
• Knowledge of the Uganda context is preferred;
• Understanding of local institutional, policy and legal frameworks is preferred.
• Ensured adherence to MOH guidelines and SOPs related to COVID-19 prevention and control.

Conditions:

• The consultancy will commence after signing of the contract.

• No contract may commence unless the consultant provides a certificate of completion of a mandatory course on “Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse”. A certificate to be submitted with the signed contract should have been obtained in the last three months.

• The consultancy will include the consultancy fee and DSA.
• Under the consultancy agreements, a month is defined as 21 working days, and fees are prorated accordingly. Consultants are not paid for weekends or public holidays Consultants are not entitled to payment of overtime. All remuneration must be within the contract agreement
• The consultant will use their personal computers and will be facilitated in case they have to do any printing or photocopying.
• Transport will be arranged as per approved TAs.
• A consultant will be paid upon presentation of a deliverable report
• Consultants will not have supervisory responsibilities nor authority on UNICEF budget and other resources.
• Consultants will be required to sign the Health statement for consultants/Individual contractor prior to taking up the assignment, and to document that they have appropriate health insurance, if applicable.
• The Form 'Designation, change or revocation of beneficiary' must be completed by the consultant upon arrival, at the HR Section.
• Clearance from DHR will be required for former UNICEF staff
• Clearance from the Government required for civil servants

Application Procedure/Call for Proposals

Interested candidates are required to submit a technical proposal on how they intend to approach the work. The proposal should include a timeline, and methodology, based on the Terms of Reference. The proposal must also include detailed CV of the consultant, as well as a financial proposal, clearly indicating daily rate for professional fees. The financial proposal must be all-inclusive of all costs (consultancy fees and where applicable air fares, airport transfers, daily living expenses). This is an international level consultancy and competitive market rates should apply.

Evaluation of Candidate:

The consultant will be competitively selected from a list of applicants based on their past experience of doing similar work (extensive experience in writing donor reports, in compiling and editing annual reports for various UNICEF offices).

For every Child, you demonstrate…

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

The competencies required for this post are….

View our competency framework at

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

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.

Remarks:

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