Individual Consultancy: To provide technical support to PEN-PLUS on Non-Communicable Diseases in Children, Maputo, 11 months

Consultant Medical & Health Programme & Policy

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, a vacine

How can you make a difference?

The Non-Communicable Disease International (NCDI) Poverty Network was established in December 2020 with the goal to prevent and reduce the death and suffering of children and young adults doubly afflicted by extreme poverty and noncommunicable conditions. The NCDI Poverty Network supports the development, pilot, and scale up of innovative service delivery models to effectively decentralize interventions for prevention and management of NCDIs affecting poor and vulnerable populations. PEN-Plus is a strategy to enable mid-level providers (nurses, clinical officers, etc.) to lead outpatient care for severe chronic NCDs affecting young individuals (for example, type 1 diabetes, advanced rheumatic heart disease, and sickle cell disease) at first-level referral facilities in an integrated approach. In collaboration with the World Health Organization, PEN-Plus will build upon and strengthen the WHO Package of Essential NCD Interventions (WHO PEN) for primary health centers, as well as expand the availability of interventions to the pediatric population.

Purpose of Activity/Assignment:

Technical assistance to the implementation of the PEN-Plus project led by the NCDI Poverty Co-Secretariat at Universidade Eduardo Mondlane.

PROGRAMME AREA AND SPECIFIC PROJECT AREA:

The Mozambique PEN-Plus National Consultant for Pediatrics will be responsible for supporting all the activities related to the pediatric NCD PEN-Plus component. These responsibilities include:

• Provide routine on-site technical support to PEN-Plus Mozambique implementation to the central team and the Maputo and Nhamatanda clinics

• Advise the local program leadership providing day-to-day technical advisor for the development of PEN Plus clinical activities at the sites

• Operationalize the PEN Plus pediatric components action plan ensuring technical quality

• Develop clinical protocols, patient-care guidelines, and flowcharts for selected NCD at PEN Plus clinics

• Review the Network’s training materials provided by the program and adapt them to the current local guidelines and norms

• Support the development and/or updating of the pediatric PEN-Plus package, including the tools for:

o Clinical care delivery

o Training and mentorship

o Information systems

o Assessments and evaluations

• Support the efforts to incorporate the NCD pediatric component in the national health policies and strategies (NCD, Maternal Newborn Child and Adolescent Health, Community Health, Mental Health National Program, etc)

• Support the integration of the NCD pediatric component into the national operational plan, which aims to reinforce diagnosis, treatment, supply chain and information systems at all levels of the health system

• Support on-site assessment and evaluation of the new sites to be included in phase 2 of PEN Plus Mozambique

• Mapping all NCD-related initiatives, policies, and strategies, as well as all partners and stakeholders supporting government efforts on NCD and PEN-Plus

• Participate in the PEN-Plus team weekly/monthly calls to understand and be updated on the network’s progress on its programmatic standards

• Establish regular communication between UNICEF and NCDI Poverty Co-Secretariat

• Facilitate the communication between the PEN Plus team and government institutions for the implementation of the pediatric component of the program

• Monitor the implementation of PEN Plus activities (clinical supervision and mentorship, training and data systems monitoring) especially at health facility level

• Support the inclusion of pediatric NCD services into the health sector planning annual cycle (PES)

• Develop documentation and briefs to disseminate the results and for advocacy purposes

Work Assignments Overview

Develop Clinical protocols

Deliverables/Outputs

Clinical protocols

Timeline

22 days

Work Assignments Overview

Protocols validated by the PEN Plus TWG

Deliverables/Outputs

Progress report.

Clinical protocols final version

Timeline

22 days

Work Assignments Overview

Develop patientcare guidelines

Deliverables/Outputs

patientcare guidelines

Timeline

22 days

Work Assignments Overview

Patient-care guidelines validated by the Pen Plus TWG

Deliverables/Outputs

Progress report.

Patient-care guidelines final version

Timeline

22 days

Work Assignments Overview

Develop Flowcharts for selected NCD at PEN Plus clinics

Deliverables/Outputs

Flowcharts

Timeline

22 days

Work Assignments Overview

Test developed Flowcharts

Deliverables/Outputs

Progress report

Timeline

22 days

Work Assignments Overview

Flowcharts validated by the PEN Plus TWG

Deliverables/Outputs

Progress report.

Flowcharts final version

Timeline

22 days

Work Assignments Overview

Revised PEN Plus Manuals

Deliverables/Outputs

PEN_PLUS manuals

Timeline

32 days

Work Assignments Overview

Conduct workshop to validate the manuals

Deliverables/Outputs

Activity report.

PEN-PLUS Manual Final version

Timeline

22 days

Work Assignments Overview

Develop Job-Aids

Deliverables/Outputs

Job-AIDS

Timeline

Work Assignments Overview

Job-AIDS validated by the PEN Plus TWG

Deliverables/Outputs

Progress report.

JOB AID final version

Timeline

22 days

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

• A bachelor's degree in ** Degree in specialty Paediatrics (minimum 3 years’ experience as Pediatrician in development country) A first University Degree in a relevant field combined with 2 additional years of professional experience may be accepted in lieu of an Advanced University Degree.*
• A minimum of 3 years’ of relevant professional experience as Pediatrician in development country.

Knowledge/Expertise/Skills required:

• Strong clinical background in rural health care settings.

• Experience with management of non-communicable diseases is preferred.

• Experience with program design, monitoring and evaluations

• Fluency in Portuguese and English is required.

Consultants will be asked to stipulate all-inclusive fees, including lump sum travel and subsistence costs, as applicable.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

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

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.

Remarks:

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

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.

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Added 2 hours ago - Updated 2 hours ago - Source: unicef.org