Consultancy - Data Manager for the Live Oxygen Platform at the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office to support oxygen scaling up activities and enhance clinical needs assessment

Contract

This is a No grade contract. More about No grade contracts.

1. Area of expertise :

Unit: WHE/IHP - Infectious Hazard Prevention & Preparedness

Department: WHE – Health Emergencies

2. Background

The purpose of the consultancy is to collaborate with the WHO Country Offices in the Eastern Mediterranean Region and the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office in support of identified countries with oxygen and enhanced clinical needs assessment and technical advice to increase oxygen access and clinical management capacities.

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, affordable and sustainable access to oxygen and insufficient clinical management capacity have been a growing challenge in resource limited and complex emergency countries in WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR). COVID-19 has put huge pressure on health systems, with hospitals in many resource-limited countries running out of oxygen, resulting in preventable deaths.

Although vast work has been done in the medical oxygen ecosystem over the years, especially in its safe production and clinical use, it remains limited in its access and availability in many countries. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted this inequity. Access to medical oxygen in such settings is limited due to cost, infrastructure, logistical barriers, and in EMR, insecurity. Health facilities often cannot access the oxygen they require, resulting in the unnecessary loss of lives. During the COVID-19 response, the major challenge for WHO in support of oxygen is a lack of baseline information on oxygen resources in a country. Without having such an “Oxygen capacity mapping”, it will remain challenging to deliver efficient and timely support to meet the urgent needs of oxygen in complex emergency settings.

Driven by a dire need to develop such an oxygen data platform that serves as a tracker and centralized repository of information and tools, the EMRO IHP with support of EMRO information/data management team has developed a Live Oxygen Platform and officially launched the data platform in January 2022. The platform enables countries to carry out real-time aggregation, analysis, and interpretation of medical oxygen access scale-up activities in different contexts, with information captured in both prospective and retrospective manners.

The incumbent under the overall guidance of the WHO EMRO IMST Clinical Management, EMRO information/data management team and Headquarters will provide technical support in medical oxygen data collection and related clinical management work in participating countries of the region for 6 months. During the entire period of contract, the consultant is also expected to provide technical support in the procurement, installation and maintenance of medical equipment supplied to various healthcare facilities by WHO, Ministry of Health and partners, training medical and other technical personnel, and providing technical advice on the correct use of medical oxygen at the request of Ministry of Health / partners in coordination with, supporting and mentoring the biomedical counterpart in the Ministry of Health.

3. Deliverables

The consultant is expected to do the following:

1. OUTPUT 1: Provide technical and coordination support to the team for the area of clinical management and oxygen scaling up in the Eastern Mediterranean region.

• Deliverable 1.1: Support EMRO activities and coordination in clinical management between WHO offices and countries in the region.
• Deliverable 1.2: Support EMRO activities and coordination in oxygen scaling up between WHO offices and counties in the region.
• Deliverables 1.3: Support data management activities for the above areas.

2. OUTPUT 2: Provide support in data collection and implementation of the Live Oxygen Platform at country level in the Eastern Mediterranean region.

• Deliverable 2.1: Identity the best way in the Live Oxygen Platform data collection from facilities and suppliers at country level, ensure to capture the baseline oxygen production capacity and oxygen supply system in countries.
• Deliverable 2.2: Coordinate with the responsible officers in WHO country office, Ministry of Health and EMRO and support implementation of the Live Oxygen Platform at country level, including facilitation of training sessions for data entry in the Live Oxygen Platform.
• Deliverable 2.3: Establish a close communication and collaboration with regional oxygen networks and partners.

3. OUTPUT 3: Provide technical support to WHO’s work in analyzing oxygen and clinical data and developing strategies for oxygen and clinical preparedness in resource-limited settings.

• Deliverable 3.1: Based on the assessment in the Live Oxygen Platform, support estimation of Oxygen demand and gap and development of a fit-for-purpose Oxygen scale up plan for countries.
• Deliverable 3.2: Based on the assessment in the Live Oxygen Platform, contribute to the development of clinical bundles to ensure long term operations of the equipment, training gaps, IPC measure gaps, and maintenance gaps.
• Deliverable 3.3: Support in finalizing the regional Oxygen scale up roadmap and facilitate the implementation of the roadmap strategies in the region.

4. Planned timelines: (6 months – subject to confirmation)

Start date: 01/01/2023

End date: 30/06/2023

5. Qualifications, experience, skills and languages

Educational Qualifications:

Essential: University degree in Medicine.

Experience

Essential: At least two years of work experience in public health organization.

Desirable: experience in WHO, other UN or another international organization.

Skills/Knowledge:

• Excellent technical analysis skills.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills with the ability to write in a clear and concise manner and give technical advice and guidance taking into consideration the views of multiple stakeholders and partners in resource-limited contexts.
• Proven ability to promote consensus, communicate progress and results, and resolve issues in a proactive manner, while ensuring effective work practices and ethics.
• Good computer skills in Microsoft Office applications

Languages and level required :

• Excellent knowledge of English.

6. Location

On site: EMRO, Cairo, Egypt

7. Travel

All travel arrangements will be made by WHO – WHO will not be responsible for tickets purchased by the Consultant without the express, prior authorization of WHO. While on mission under the terms of this consultancy, the Consultant will receive subsistence allowance.

Visas requirements: it is the consultant’s responsibility to fulfil visa requirements and ask for visa support letter(s) if needed.

8. Remuneration and budget (travel costs are excluded):

   1. Remuneration: Payband level - A
   2. Expected duration of contract: 6 months

   (Maximum contract duration is 11 months per calendar year)

9. Medical clearance

The selected Consultant will be expected to provide a medical certificate of fitness for work.

The selected Consultant will work under the supervision of:

Responsible Officer:

Dr Chiori Kodama

Manager:

Dr Abdinasir Abubakar

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 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.

• Consultants working in Switzerland must register with the applicable Swiss cantonal tax authorities and social security authorities, within the prescribed timeframes (Guidelines issued by the Swiss Mission are available at: <https://www.eda.admin.ch/missions/mission-onu-geneve/en/home/manual-regime-privileges-and-immunities/introduction/Manuel-personnes-sans-privileges-et-immunites-carte-H/Non fonctionnaires et stagiaires.html>