Consultants - Development Postnatal Care Guideline

..

Purpose of consultancy

The role of this consultancy is to develop a new national Postnatal Care (PNC) guideline for mothers and infants based on the new WHO recommendations on PNC (2022), develop PNC training module as well as build PNC service delivery model that fits the context of the country referring to PNC service delivery models of neighboring countries. The consultant is expected to work with government officials of Mother and Child Health Centre (MCHC) of MoH to develop the above national standard on PNC in consultation with relevant stakeholders such as Obstetrics and Gynecology Association, Midwife Association, hospital managers and clinicians at health facilities, local communities and relevant development partners.

Background

Laos has been introducing various MNCH interventions over the last decade. It started from EENC, which was introduced by WPRO in 2016 and rolled out nation-wide in 2017.

Intrapartum Care EmOC was developed in country in 2017 and rolled out nation-wide in 2018. Routine ANC (2018-2019), RMNCAH Quality Care Assessment (2019-2020), Health Governance (2020,2021-2022), high-risk ANC (2022-2023) followed the same cycle of “develop and test” and “roll out nation-wide” intervention, while remarkable progress in MNCH outcomes have been seen over the last two decades (2000-2020), such as 78% reduction in MMR, 59% reduction in U5MR, 42% reduction in NMR, and between 2011-2017 ANC4 increased by 44% and SBA increased by 22%. In contrast, PNC indicator, for instance, postnatal check-up of newborn (within 2 days after birth) increased only 6.5% between 2011 and 2017. While ANC/PNC guideline was developed in 2018, PNC guideline has not been implemented. PNC guideline needs substantial revision as well as needs development of a training module to support the implementation, as well as establishing PNC service delivery model, which does not exist in the country.

Deliverables

• Deliverable 1: Technical report 1 on the findings on the literature review on the main characteristics of PNC guideline of neighboring countries (Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia), and postpartum practices in rural areas in Laos. Expected by Dec 31, 2024

• Deliverable 2: Technical report 2 to summarize the result of the consultation on maternal health subcommittee and relevant stakeholders at central level and subnational level that agreed on the outline and PNC interventions to be included in the new Lao PNC guideline. Expected by: February 28, 2024

• Deliverable 3: Technical report on the result of the investigation on care seeking behavior and selfcare practices of postpartum mothers in communities. Expected by: April 30, 2024

• Deliverable 4: Conduct consultation meeting with technical working group of RMNCAH strategy to agree on PNC delivery plat form to be summarized in technical report 3. Expected by: June 30, 2024.

• Deliverable 5: Draft national guideline on PNC. Expected by: September 30, 2024.

• Deliverable 5: Final national guideline on PNC. Expected by: November 30, 2024.

Qualifications, experience, skills and languages

Educational Qualifications:

Essential: Degree in midwifery, nursing or medical profession

Desirable: Bachelor’s degree in health-related subject is an asset.

Experience

Essential: Work experience in mother and child sector for at least 5 years

Desirable: 2 years of experience in public health in low resource setting

Experience in providing postnatal care and newborn care as clinician in low resource setting.

Some experience of reviewing guideline/protocol in the area of MCH.

Skills/Knowledge

• Understand the similarity and differences between Lao PDR and neighboring countries (Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia) in country’s context in health status, health system as well as socialeconomic status that affect effective PNC service delivery model.

• Apply global standards into national contexts

• Strong communication skills

• Networking capability, interpersonal skills

• Ability to take initiative to achieve results.

• High degree of integrity, discretion, and personal conduct.

Languages and level required (Basic/Intermediate/Expert):

Essential: Expert knowledge of English.

Location

On site: Vientiane, Lao PDR

Travel

The consultant is expected to travel.

Remuneration and budget (travel costs are excluded):

a. Remuneration: Band level A at 200 USD per day for 20 days per month.

b. Living expenses (A living expense is payable to on-site consultants who are internationally recruited)

Not applicable for offsite and onsite for insurance purposes

c. Expected duration of contract (Maximum contract duration is 11 months per calendar year): 11 months per calendar year.

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.
• The WHO is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. The WHO recruits workforce regardless of disability status, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, language, race, marital status, religious, cultural, ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds, or any other personal characteristics.
• The WHO is committed to achieving gender parity and geographical diversity in its workforce. Women, persons with disabilities, and nationals of unrepresented and underrepresented Member States (https://www.who.int/careers/diversity-equity-and-inclusion) are strongly encouraged to apply for WHO jobs. Persons with disabilities can request reasonable accommodations to enable participation in the recruitment process. Requests for reasonable accommodation should be sent through an email to reasonableaccommodation@who.int
• An impeccable record for integrity and professional ethical standards is essential. 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 (https://www.who.int/about/who-we-are/our-values) 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 short-listed candidates.
• WHO has a smoke-free environment and does not recruit smokers or users of any form of tobacco.
• Consultants shall perform the work as independent contractors in a personal capacity, and not as a representative of any entity or authority.
• WHO shall have no responsibility 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 each location/jurisdiction in which the work hereunder is performed, and the Consultant shall not be entitled to any reimbursement thereof by WHO.
• Please note that WHO’s contracts are conditional on members of the workforce confirming that they are vaccinated as required by WHO before undertaking a WHO assignment, except where a medical condition does not allow such vaccination, as certified by the WHO Staff Health and Wellbeing Services (SHW). The successful candidate will be asked to provide relevant evidence related to this condition. A copy of the updated vaccination card must be shared with WHO medical service in the medical clearance process. Please note that certain countries require proof of specific vaccinations for entry or exit. For example, official proof /certification of yellow fever vaccination is required to enter many countries. Country-specific vaccine recommendations can be found on the WHO international travel and Staff Health and Wellbeing website. For vaccination-related queries please directly contact SHW directly at [email protected].
• In case the recruitment website does not display properly, please retry by: (i) checking that you have the latest version of the browser installed (Chrome, Edge or Firefox); (ii) clearing your browser history and opening the site in a new browser (not a new tab within the same browser); or (iii) retry accessing the website using Mozilla Firefox browser or using another device. Click the link for detailed guidance on completing job applications: Instructions for candidates .