Consultant National Review EPI Policy

Contract

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TITLE: Review of the National EPI Policy

Contract Type: National Consultant

GRADE: NOC

CONTRACT DURATION: One month

PURPOSE OF THE POST

Review of draft EPI Policy.

BACKGROUND:

Sierra Leone is making considerable improvement on the Expanded Programme on Immunization activities since the establishment of the Expanded program on Immunization in the 1970s. There has been an expansion in health facilities providing immunization services in all districts, new vaccines have been added to the list of traditional vaccines that the program started with under the EDCU at Bo. The cold chain has been over hauled, from kerosene refrigerators to gas and now solar refrigerators at health facilities. Immunization is a policy guided health intervention. The program in collaboration with partners, WHO and UNICEF did a draft in 2015 which was not finalized. It is important that the current EPI policy aligns with the current updates in immunization. The reviewed policy will be used as a guidance document for the subsequent plans for the next five years and will also be used to guide the next cMYP which expires in 2021.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

Under the overall guidance of the WHO Representative, and day to day supervision of the Program Manager Child Health/EPI and EPI Team lead WHO:

Conduct review of the EPI Policy;

1.Attend an inception meeting to discuss the assignment and plan of work with MoHS, WHO, UNICEF and other agencies.

2.Work in close collaboration with and be guided by the TCC in reviewing the draft EPI policy. Consult with stakeholders in immunization, (WHO, UNICEF, CHAI, FOCUS 1000, Health Education Unit of the MoHS and ICAP)

3.Development of draft EPI Policy collaboration with national core group MoHS, WHO, UNICEF, CHAI and partners taking into consideration WHO norms and standards as well as the country context.

4.Collect relevant information on immunization, and vaccines being offered and new vaccines in the pipeline for introduction.

5.Present the draft policy for discussion in the core group (TCC/ICC/NITAG) meeting. Thereafter, revise Policy based on comments from the core group meeting.

6.Present the draft policy at the validation meeting. Thereafter, revise tools as agreed in validation meeting, as necessary.

7.Present the validated policy in the orientation meeting of the core group.

8.Prepare and submit final consultancy report.

DELIVERABLES

1.Inception meeting with detailed methodology and outline for the policy review 2.Draft policy 3.Developed policy for validation 4.Final version validated policy 5.Meeting reports and final consultancy report

QUALIFICATIONS

Education: Essential: First university degree in any health-related field or social sciences Desirable: 1.Post-graduate specialization in public health 2.Good knowledge of Immunization and policy and planning

Experience: Essential: • A minimum five years of experience working in any health-related field, public health or wastage management.

Desirable: •Experience in delivering and/or managing inter-sectoral projects •Experience in proposal or guideline development, monitoring and evaluation in public health related field •Experience in organizing meetings and workshops

Functional Skills •Excellent writing and oral skills, including ability to analyze data and to summarize and communicate these to a wide range of audiences and cultures •Skills and ability to timely synthesize key components and working group outputs. •Good interpersonal, coordination, facilitation and leadership skills with the ability to motivate and convey enthusiasm to co-workers and target audiences. •Ability to build and promote partnerships across the organization and beyond. •Demonstrated ability to produce results, while respecting WHO’s professional, ethical and legal framework

Competencies:

1)Communicating in a credible and effective way 2)Fostering integration and teamwork 3)Moving forward in a changing environment 4)Ensuring the effective use of resources 5)Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences

Use of Language Skills

Essential:Excellent knowledge of English language. A good knowledge of local language(s) including creole would be an advantage

REMUNERATION AND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Remuneration: NOC Level (SLL26,412,250 Monthly rate)

Place of Assignment: Freetown, Sierra Leone