E T Consultant

Medical & Health

Contract

This is a World Bank Group grade: EC2 contract. More about World Bank Group grade: EC2 contracts.

E T Consultant

Description

Do you want to build a career that is truly worthwhile? Working at the World Bank Group provides a unique opportunity for you to help our clients solve their greatest development challenges. The World Bank Group is one of the largest sources of funding and knowledge for developing countries; a unique global partnership of five institutions dedicated to ending extreme poverty, increasing shared prosperity and promoting sustainable development. With 189 member countries and more than 120 offices worldwide, we work with public and private sector partners, investing in groundbreaking projects and using data, research, and technology to develop solutions to the most urgent global challenges. Visit www.worldbank.org.

Europe and Central Asia (ECA) Region:

The Europe and Central Asia (ECA) region comprises 30 extremely diverse countries, with a population of nearly 500 million people. Although 10 of our clients have joined the EU and 7 of these have graduated, most continue to remain active recipients of knowledge and/or lending services. Furthermore, amidst a crisis like the pandemic that we are experiencing now, some of the advanced countries re-engage with the Bank for additional support, including financial. ECA has a strong lending pipeline as well as a large and growing portfolio of Reimbursable Advisory Services. Knowledge is critical to the Bank’s value proposition to client countries in the ECA region in both lending and advisory services. .

A predominantly middle- and high-income region, ECA continues to be at the forefront in confronting the numerous development challenges that countries face in the evolving global economy. The region is at the vanguard of building regional connectivity while having to manage the changing structure of the labor market. At the same time, digital technologies are changing the nature of work, populations are aging, and large migration flows have generated social tensions that have contributed to increased political polarization. These emerging trends threaten to reverse the region’s achievements in regional integration, poverty reduction, and shared prosperity. .

The ECA region is also one of the most vulnerable to climate change. It has a large potential to strengthen climate change resilience and improve energy efficiency, thereby reducing its contribution to climate change. Other important challenges affecting parts of the region include frozen conflicts and domestic political instability.

In February 2020, the COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak interrupted the region’s incipient recovery and the impact on growth remains highly uncertain. In a downside scenario of prolonged shutdowns, output in ECA was expected to contract by nearly 8 percent in 2020. The pandemic also poses medium-term risks, particularly if global value chain linkages are lost or if extended school closures have a significant impact on learning, dropout rates, and human capital development.

The near- and medium-term impacts of the COVID-19 crisis serve to re-emphasize the critical importance of ECA’s medium-term strategic agenda on raising productivity and boosting resilience. This focuses on three priority areas:

• Boosting human capital to raise productivity;

• Building solid foundations and resilience for growth; and

• Enabling markets to achieve high productivity in the private sector.

For more information: https://www.worldbank.org/en/region/eca

Health, Nutrition & Population Global Practice:

The central contribution of the Health, Nutrition, and Population (HNP) Global Practice (GP) to the World Bank Group’s (WBG) twin goals is to enable the achievement of Universal Health Coverage (UHC), in which all people are effectively covered by essential health services, and nobody suffers undue financial hardship because of illnesses. In the quest for UHC, the HNP GP is building on progress made in the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals, an array of analytical and advisory services, strategic partnerships with partner institutions and other financing agencies, and an active lending portfolio.

In its effort to enable the achievement of UHC, the HNP GP is enhancing its support to countries in building sustainable health financing systems. This support is led by country teams in response to demand from clients. It draws on the expertise of other GPs, among others, Macroeconomics, Trade, and Investment; Governance; Social Protection; and Poverty, as well as the International Finance Corporation (IFC). It is carried out in close collaboration with other development partners, including the International Monetary Fund (IMF), under the guiding principles of the International Health Partnership (IHP+) framework.

For more information: https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/health

Kazakhstan context

Kazakhstan is an Upper-Middle Income Country (UMIC) with a GDP per capita of US$ 9,106.4 in 2020 (Atlas-based) powered by an abundance of oil, gas, and other minerals. The Government has used this wealth to improve the lives of citizens. Poverty declined to 8.5 percent in 2018. However, it has since been projected to have risen to 13 percent because of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, resulting in a significant increase in the need for price and social service subsidies.

Kazakhstan aims to become a member of the top 30 developed countries with membership in the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the government was implementing a deep reform in the health sector, including a switch from a fully tax-based financing system with a high level of out-of-pocket payments (OOP) to a single-payer mandatory social health insurance (MSHI) system with priority in financing given to preventive and primary health care. Beginning in January 2018, budget proceeds from the State Guaranteed Benefits Package (SGBP) changed from flowing directly to health providers (based on historic budgets) to being channeled through the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF), which began conducting strategic purchasing and contracting services from public and private providers. Payments followed different mechanisms including: (i) per capita financing and a list of fees for services for primary health care, (ii) Diagnoses Related Groups to finance hospital admissions, and (iii) fee-for-service method for some specific ambulatory hospital and other health services. In addition, health care providers got autonomy to use part of the received funds to implement adjustments in service delivery and provide incentives to their staff. Second-phase MSHI implementation began in January 2020, whereby the SHIF also started to contract and pay providers based on the MSHI package. Since beginning to collect MSHI contributions from employers on July 1, 2017, and expanding contribution payer categories on January 1, 2020, the total amount of contributions pooled by the SHIF reached KZT 1.55 trillion on January 1, 2022. In 2021, the SHIF received MSHI contributions and government subsidies for 91.4 percent of the total population, with continued efforts on expanding MSHI enrollment, especially of the informally self-employed.

The MSHI system has contributed toward increasing health sector financing and population coverage and access to health services. For example, the overall financing of the previously underfunded health sector rose by 112 percent, from approximately KZT 1 trillion for the SGBP alone in 2019 to KZT 2 trillion in 2021 for both SGBP and MSHI combined (SGBP financing deficit was KZT 363 billion in 2019). This increased financing in 2021 allowed the MOH to close some of the financing gaps in providing critical health services. In turn, demand for these services increased. For example, between 2019 and 2021, demand for consultation and diagnostic services increased from 11 to 74 percent, provision of dental care for selected population categories grew from 26 to 80 percent, rehabilitation treatment increased from 4 to 43 percent (number of providers in this area increased from 64 to 618), outpatient drug provision grew from 15 to 44 percent (number of conditions included in the Outpatient Drug Benefit Program increased from 45 to 138), and high-tech tertiary care rose from 7 to 18 percent. Access to planned hospital admission also increased while the number of patients waiting for admission decreased from 13,200 to 11,400.

Other key reforms, supported under the Bank-financed Health Sector Technology Transfer and Institutional Reform Project (2009-2017) and Social Health Insurance Projects (2017-2022) included (i) reorganizing service delivery with increased focus on integrated care delivery with primary health care (PHC) services prioritized (disease management programs), strengthening of public health and emergency medical services; (ii) implementing health care quality improvement mechanisms, including financial and non-financial incentives for quality; (iii) modernizing medical education system; (iv) optimizing healthcare infrastructure (merging mono-profile into larger multi-profile hospitals and bringing PHC closer to the population; and (v) modernizing e-Health systems for care delivery and monitoring.

Objectives

Given the recent closure of the Social Health Insurance Project and the need of the Kazakhstan health sector for further support, the HNP GP seeks to hire a national Extended-Term Consultant based in Nur-Sultan to (i) support the World Bank HNP team in sustaining health policy dialogue in Kazakhstan, by contributing to the implementation of the “Human Capital - Health Sector Advisory Services and Analytics” (ASA); (ii) coordinating with and providing inputs on HNP-related topics to the Country Management Unit (CMU) and other Global Practice (GP) teams, as necessary; and (iii) supporting the preparation/implementation of a new health sector or multi-sectoral operation in the event that one is agreed upon with the Government of Kazakhstan. Tasks will include, but are not limited to:

• With guidance from the Kazakhstan Task Team Leaders (TTLs), coordinate on the ground, the work of a team of international and local experts to implement the Health Sector ASA.

• Provide technical and operational support to the HNP team in collecting and analyzing quantitative and qualitative data on Kazakhstan’s health sector indicators and trends, with a substantial focus on both health service delivery and financial/budgetary/economic factors; this will involve staying on top of the work done by other national actors, as well as identifying, compiling, and reviewing academic and professional articles, studies, and assessments relevant to the country.

• Support preparation/conduct of and reporting on World Bank in-person and virtual missions. This includes engaging with the Government; organizing mission schedules and preparing related documentation; providing guidance to administrative and client support (ACS) staff on logistical arrangements for meetings, field visits, etc.; attending mission meetings and field trips as a member of the HNP team; drafting aide memoires and management letters; proofreading translations of letters, aide memoires, reports, etc. to ensure their accuracy and high quality.

• Contribute to the preparation and dissemination of policy briefs, background notes, assessments and reports, sector strategies, just-in-time notes requested by the Government and/or Bank management, and presentations in support of policy dialogue and development partner (DP) coordination, focusing on sector governance, health care organization, financing and delivery of health services, international benchmarking and best practices, as well as multi-sector strategies and programs to deal with the social determinants of health conditions of the population.

• Serve as the HNP focal point on the ground in Kazakhstan, including liaising with the TTL(s) on issues that require attention; and between the Bank and respective counterparts in the Government, civil society, and DP community.

• Represent the HNP GP when needed and requested in CMU-related matters, including but not limited to contributing to the Strategic Country Diagnostics and Country Partnership Framework, collaborating with IFC and other Global Practices, etc.

• Represent the Bank in interactions with the Government, civil society, and other DPs in relation to Bank’s HNP engagement, as needed. Participate regularly (or when invited) in relevant council sessions (e.g., National Council for Protection of Population Health), bilateral or multilateral meetings, fora, workshops, and other events organized by the Ministry of Health or DPs and update/brief the TTL(s) and CMU accordingly on a timely basis.

• Continuously keep the HNP team and CMU informed on important developments and strategic engagements in Kazakhstan’s health sector. Provide assessments, advice, and proposed options/solutions to the HNP team on changes in policy and strategic direction in the Kazakhstan health sector, or in the broader policy/strategic framework with implications for the health sector.

• Undertake other tasks, as requested by the TTL(s), HNP GP management, and/or CMU.

Timeframe:

• Contract length: 1 year, with possible extension to second year

• ETC level: ETC2 (GF)

• TTLs: TBC by ECA HNP PM

Reporting:

• The Consultant will report to the ECA HNP GP Practice Manager and HNP TTLs working on Kazakhstan. S/he is expected to closely collaborate with other HNP team members and consultants as well as with the CMU throughout the duration of this assignment.

Selection Criteria

The Consultant must have:

• Educational background (including a Master’s degree) in Medicine, Public Health, Nutrition, Health Economics, Health Financing, Health Science, or other relevant field; a PhD in the same fields would be an added advantage;

• A minimum of 7 years of experience working on health systems strengthening/health services delivery systems in low- and middle-income countries; specific health economics/financing experience would be desirable, as would a majority of practical experience working in Kazakhstan and/or Central Asia;

• Demonstrated knowledge of and experience working in the Kazakhstan health system;

• Solid experience in data collection, analysis, and reporting on difficult, but well-defined tasks; articulate issues and recommend solutions;

• Excellent analytical and research skills; ability to compile and summarize background information and review literature as needed;

• Capacity to deliver quality products in a timely manner while handling a range of tasks;

• Strong organizational skills: Ability to work independently, to plan and complete assignments in a timely manner, and report effectively on the work performed; capacity to follow up systematically and efficiently on a broad set of initiatives and decisions;

• Proficient language skills: Fluency in English, Russian, and Kazakh is required;

• Proficient computer skills: Ability to effectively use email and Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook);

• Excellent communication skills, professional oral and written communication, including via email, audio/video conference, and face-to-face with Bank and Government officials in English, Russian, and Kazakh;

• Strong client orientation: balance a responsive and proactive approach to meeting client needs; capacity to work closely with national counterparts in the government, and key partners in the DP and NGO community.

• Strong interpersonal skills and cultural sensitivity, to effectively communicate with government officials and development partners; and,

• Ability to:

(a) deal sensitively in multi-cultural environments, to work in a team environment;

(b) operate independently with minimal direct supervision and support, but with willingness to seek guidance as needed, and ability to develop and maintain good working relationships in a team-oriented environment;

(c) work effectively as a team member and as a leader alike, including in multi-sectoral teams;

(d) share and disseminate relevant information with colleagues, clients, and managers alike

(e) interact effectively with a range of stakeholders within and outside the Bank, with a strong diplomatic and client-engagement skills

(f) identify and develop new and creative partnerships with a wide variety of agencies and organizations.

In addition to the above, the successful candidate is expected to demonstrate the following WBG competencies:

• Integrative Skills -- Understands core issues and knows where to get additional expertise when needed. Task team member in integrative products and provides analytical written inputs.

• Knowledge and Experience in Development Arena -- Understands policy making process and role of the health sector in that process. Is able to find relevant information and examine similar policy questions in multiple regions and to distill operationally relevant recommendations and lessons from this analysis for clients.

• Policy Dialogue Skills -- Identifies and assesses policy issues and communicates findings/points of view verbally and through economic reports and papers. Plays an active role in the dialogue with the government and/or other stakeholders as part of Bank teams.

• Client Orientation -- Maintains client relationships in the face of conflicting demands or directions and provides evidence-based advice and solutions based on sound diagnosis and knowledge.

• Drive for Results -- Identifies the needed resources to accomplish results involving multiple stakeholders and finds solutions to obstacles affecting key deliverables.

• Teamwork (Collaboration) and Inclusion -- Shows leadership in ensuring the team stays organized and focused, and actively seeks and considers diverse ideas and approaches.

World Bank Group Core Competencies

We are proud to be an equal opportunity and inclusive employer with a dedicated and committed workforce, and do not discriminate based on gender, gender identity, religion, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or disability.

Learn more about working at the World Bank and IFC, including our values and inspiring stories.

Note: The selected candidate will be offered a one-year appointment, renewable for an additional one year, at the discretion of the World Bank Group, and subject to a lifetime maximum ET Appointment of two years. If an ET appointment ends before a full year, it is considered as a full year toward the lifetime maximum. Former and current ET staff who have completed all or any portion of their second-year ET appointment are not eligible for future ET appointments.

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Added 1 year ago - Updated 1 year ago - Source: worldbank.org