Consultant - Malaria Microscopy

Purpose of the Consultancy

The consultant will support the Cambodia malaria program to implement activities in order to uphold microscopy quality to meet the need for malaria elimination.

Background

Cambodia is one of the countries endemic with malaria in the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS). The country has strengthened its commitment to eliminating malaria during the previous five years and has made significant progress towards the goals outlined in the National Strategic Plan for Elimination of Malaria in Cambodia, 2011-2025, and the Malaria Elimination Action Framework (MEAF) 2016 - 2020. Only 4320 cases of malaria were reported in 2021, among them only 361 cases of falciparum malaria.

Malaria diagnosis is an important part of the interventions. It is composed of microscopy and Rapid Diagnostic Tests. Although RDT has been widely used in the country, microscopy is still practiced. Microscopy is the cornerstone for Therapeutic Efficacy Study, Integrated Drug Efficacy Surveillance, and diagnosis in hospitals and other facilities. It will not be replaced by RDT. Moreover, establishing a microscopy network that serves the elimination of malaria and preventions re-establishment of transmission is compulsory for certification of malaria-free status by WHO.

External Competency Assessment is one of the means to ensure the quality of microscopy. It should be conducted every three years for renewal of the certificates issued to participants. In Cambodia, the last External Competency Assessment for Malaria Microscopists (ECAMM) was held in November 2022 at Siem Reap Province supported by WHO. Among all the 12 microscopists who joined the assessment. 11 of them got Level 1 certificates, and 1 got Level 2 certificates. The certificates issued by WHO for the ECA should be updated in the year 2025.

Based on the finding for the capacity building there’s still a need to conduct Basic Malaria Microscopy training for 2 weeks for the newly hired staff and those staff who don’t have any basic training, continuous refresher training, National Competency Assessment (NCA), Pre-ECAMM and Training of Monitoring and Outreach Training and Supportive Supervision (OTSS) for those microscopists got Level 1 and 2 and Levels A and B at the provincial level.

Sending of slide panel to those microscopists who don’t have seen limited cases or zero cases at all.

Last March of 2023, the program together with all the partners (WHO, USAID, PMI, CHAI, MC, CMEP, and others) conducted the Annual meeting for the implementation of Quality Assurance and planning workshop for malaria microscopy. It’s a successful event and at the end of the year, the program will be doing the same meeting every year.

Continuous collection of slides for the National Malaria Slide Bank (NMSB), especially those slides with Pm, Mixed, and Pk through the confirmation of PCR.

In order to uphold the capacity of microscopy and national and provincial teams, it is proposed WHO provide in-country technical support through a recruited consultant.

**Planned Timeline

Start date: 1 September 2023 End date: 29 February 2024**

Work to be performed:

Deliverables

In close collaboration with Communicable Diseases Team Leader and Medical Officer for Malaria, Vector-borne, and Other Parasitic Diseases of WCO Cambodia, and partners, a consultant is expected to provide the following outputs and deliverables.

Output/s:

Output 1: Capacity Building

Deliverable 1.1: To conduct the Refresher Training, National Competency Assessment

Deliverable 1.2: To conduct the Pre-External Competency Assessment

Output 2: Evaluation

Deliverable 2.1: To support the program in the Training of Monitoring and Outreach and Supportive Supervision to Levels 1s and 2s and Levels As and Bs

Deliverable 2.2: To conduct the training of Outreach Training and Supportive Supervision (OTSS)

Output 3****: Review of QA activity implementation 1 year (2023), to identify gaps and improve implementation, with participants from CNM, provinces, and partners and planning workshop for 2024

Deliverable 3.1: To design the content and methodology of the review meeting

Deliverable 3.2: To facilitate at least one of the two review meeting

Deliverable 3.3: To analyze and report review results

Deliverable 3.4: To draft a plan for microscopy QA for the year 2024 based on the review meeting’s findings and recommendations

Specific requirements

Educational Qualifications

- Qualifications required: Minimum university degree in public health, infectious disease control, epidemiology, or other relevant areas

- Desirable: Advanced degree in public health, infectious disease control, epidemiology, or other relevant areas

- Degree in medical lab technology is an advantage

*****Experience required:*****

- Minimum 5 years of international and national experience in malaria microscopy

- International experience in microscopy training and quality assurance in Asia;

- Experience working with malaria program in the Greater Mekong Region;

- Experience in working with Cambodia’s malaria program is an advantage

Competencies:

- Communicating in a credible and effective way

- Producing results

- Knowing and managing yourself

- Moving forward in a changing environment

- Fostering integration and teamwork

Functional Skills and Knowledge:

- Knowledge of the specific or technical area of malaria microscopy;

- Level 1 microscopists accredited by the World Health Organization;

- Ability to develop plans and guidelines for country context;

- Ability to conduct policy, guidelines, and SOP review, critical evaluation of research results, and assessment of the fitness of research results to local contexts

Languages and levels required

Language:

- Expert level of English is essential (Read-Write-Speak). Working knowledge of other UN languages is an advantage.

Other Skills:

- Excellent/demonstrated writing skills in academic settings

- Proficient in standard MS Office software applications. Presentation skills.

Place of assignment

Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Medical clearance

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

Travel

Cambodia city and provincial level

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.
• The purpose of this vacancy is to develop a list of qualified candidates for inclusion in this advertised roster. All applicants will be notified in writing of the outcome of their application (whether successful or unsuccessful) upon conclusion of the selection process. 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.