Consultancy on the Development of a Health Services Role Delineation Policy implementation plan, Tarawa, Kiribati, 3 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, care.

In the Pacific we work in Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu: These 14 Pacific island countries are home to 2.3 million people, including 1.2 million children and youth, living on more than 660 islands and atolls stretching across 17.2 million square kilometers of the Pacific Ocean, an area comparable to the combined size of the United States of America and Canada. Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Solomon Islands, and Tuvalu are classified as Fragile States according to World Bank/OECD criteria.

All 14 Pacific Island countries and territories have ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, but only a third are on track with reporting obligations. Explore the different areas of our work in the link provided here www.unicef.org/pacificislands.

Background and Purpose of Assignment:

The Republic of Kiribati has the second lowest life expectancy amongst Pacific Island Countries (PICs) after Papua New Guinea and faces a double burden of communicable and non-communicable diseases (NCDs), and of under and over-nutrition. The country has one of the highest tuberculosis prevalence rates in the region, and NCDs increased more than three-fold between 2005–2010.

Kiribati has a publicly funded health system administered by the Ministry of Health and Medical Services (MHMS). Health service delivery is provided at three levels:

• One referral hospital (Tungaru central hospital)
• Three hospitals (Betio Hospital, Kiritimati Hospital, and Tabiteuea Hospital)
• 30 Health centers and 75 Health clinics

Health is a priority focus for the government of Kiribati’s development plan. UNICEF’s and WHO’s long term commitment to improving access to quality health care in Kiribati is in line with priority area 3 of Kiribati’s development plan which is “improved maternal, newborn and child health”. In addition to this, the MHMS has set six objectives in the health strategic plan that include: Improve access to and utilization of quality Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health, Health Promotion and High Impact Nutrition Intervention services and Strengthen health system Leadership, Management, Governance and Accountability. The Kiribati and WHO Country Cooperation Strategy prioritizes revitalization of primary health care services and strengthening health systems towards universal health coverage and the vision of Healthy Islands.

UNICEF and WHO will work in partnership with Kiribati MHMS and other development partners to develop a Role Delineation Policy (RDP) costed implementation plan for three years that specifies the health services MHMS provides or aspires to provide to its citizens in an equitable manner. This is in line with the Healthy Islands vision since 1995, and the twelfth Pacific Health Ministers Meeting (PHMM) addressed that the right services and the right service model to achieve UHC should be determined by redefining primary health care. RDP has been used in a number of countries such as Fiji, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu, as an operational tool to help policy makers analyses and better shape their model of care, towards stronger health systems and universal health coverage.

UNICEF Pacific is seeking a Consultant to assist in the development and documentation of a national role delineation policy developed in collaboration with the MHMS in Kiribati with the aim of designing an RDP implementation plan that offers value for the resource constrained health environment faced by Kiribati and that articulates the basic services that will address the priorities and needs of the population.

How can you make a difference?

The Consultant is required to collaboratively finalize the Role Delineation for the provision of primary, secondary and tertiary services and the workforce and service requirements to deliver these, in response to both a request from the Kiribati Permanent Secretary of Health and a gap in this policy area identified through the Supportive Supervision and Community Engagement Gap Analysis. Under the technical guidance of the Health Specialist in Kiribati, the specific role of the Consultant is to assist the Ministry of Health and Medical Services (MHMS) in the finalization, development and documentation of a Role Delineation Policy and costed plan through the review and analysis of existing comments and feedback.

The Policy document and the costed plan will enable the MHMS to define the scope of essential health services (which services) with regard to the proposed level of care (at what level will the service be provided), with regard to the required human resources (by whom, doctor or nurse for example), the available equipment, drugs and infrastructure (facility is equipped with) and the cost of services. The MHMS will use this information for more accurate planning and budgeting, as well as to inform structural decisions on staffing, supplies and equipment, resource allocations, and management of services.

Specifically, the consultancy will identify the most appropriate package of services to address the most pressing health issues, particularly for women, children and marginalized populations in Kiribati.

Please refer to the TOR below to view the deliverables and timelines:

Terms of Reference RDP - Kiribati VA.pdf

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

• Education: Medical/Nursing degree and/or post-secondary qualification in public health, a specialist in health systems, or equivalent.
• Experience: Minimum 7 to 10 years of relevant experience; experience in the Pacific and experience in the collaborative design of a role delineation policy/essential package of services
• Competencies: Working with others, leadership, and technical area of policy development.
• Language: Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of a local language is an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS).

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

How to Apply:

Interested candidates should submit an online application through the Talent Management System (TMS) that consists as a minimum of the following:

• Profile/ CV
• A financial proposal. The financial proposal should be a lump sum amount for all the deliverables, showing a break down for the following:
  • Fees– based on the deliverables in the Terms of Reference
  • Travel (economy air ticket where applicable to take up assignment if in country support is required, as well as any in country travel)
  • Living allowance for international consultants
  • Miscellaneous- to cover visa, health insurance (including medical evacuation for international consultants), communications, and other costs.

Regret emails will be sent only to shortlisted/contacted candidates. Applicants who have not been contacted within two months of the closing date, may accept that their application was unsuccessful.

Remarks:

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment.

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 be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws.

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.