Individual international consultancy on technical assistance to the Ministry of Health and Medical Industry of Turkmenistan (MoHMI) in the introduction of the IMCI program at scale

Contract

This is a Consultancy contract. More about Consultancy contracts.

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.

Purpose of Activity/Assignment:

In the last 5 years, the Government of Turkmenistan has successfully developed and implemented a number of national strategies and programmes on reproductive, maternal, child, and adolescent health, child nutrition, and early childhood development.

Turkmenistan made considerable efforts in improving infrastructure at the central level while strengthening PHC remains an urgent priority. Home visiting (HV) is an integral part of the PHC system, providing universal access to health services. However, the quality of provided services both for outpatient and in-patient care is inadequate and standards of provision of health services are outdated.

Despite the efforts made, child mortality remains the highest in the ECA region with 42 per 1,000 live births, and infant mortality is its major contributor with 36,3 per 1,000 live births. The neonatal mortality rate is at 23,6 per 1,000 live births (UN IGME, 2019). The country’s SDG targets to be achieved by 2030 are 12 and 25 per 1,000 live births for neonatal and under-five mortality accordingly. Data on quality of care immediately after birth shows that the majority of newborns receive basic care upon their birth. At the same time, survival indicators suggest that there are some challenges with the quality and extent of timely newborn care.

During the past decade management of children with diarrhea and suspected pneumonia had worsened. Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) is a key intervention for a holistic approach to the reduction of childhood mortality and morbidity through interventions that target the most common deaths in children under 5 years. Evidence suggests that IMCI was significantly associated with a 15% reduction in child mortality when activities were implemented in health facilities and communities[1]. It is crucial for the country to make strategic efforts to integrate the Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) approach in primary health care nationwide and to ensure continuity of quality care for sick children both in inpatient and outpatient facilities through the development and introduction of a national IMCI policy and guidelines, improved teaching of IMCI in pre-service and post-diploma training curricula for doctors and nurses, and development of sustainable supervisory support, especially for primary healthcare providers.

Implementation of the IMCI approach was started in 2000 in selected districts of the country. However, its implementation was fragmented and not institutionalized. IMCI revitalization and implementation at the national level is a part of the Recently adopted Healthy Mother-Healthy Child-Healthy Future National RMNCH Strategy. With the Ministry’s request UNICEF and WHO support the revitalization of the IMCI approach to enable its scaling up at the national level. In 2020, with UNICEF support country adopted IMCI guidelines for the management of childhood illnesses at the hospital (2013). In 2021, with the technical assistance of UNICEF, the Ministry of Health has developed a 5-year Road Map for the introduction of the IMCI programme at scale. The Road Map proposes 5 phase approaches. The action plan proposes (a) improving the case management skills of health staff (b) Improving the health system and (c) Improving family and community practices based on recent WHO/UNICEF global review findings. Currently, the Road Map is under the consideration of the Ministry for its endorsement. Within this technical assistance, the IMCI training package has been developed, with 52 trainers prepared. Currently, the package is available in the Russian language. Its adaptation in Turkmen language is planned for this year.

Understanding an urgent need and the demand for the introduction of the IMCI approach and its implementation at scale the Ministry of Health requested to continue UNICEF support in the introduction of IMCI program at scale by strengthening the capacity of IMCI trainers and health workers and developing standards for the provision of paediatric services.

Scope of Work:

Purpose of Assignment:

The overall purpose of the assignment is to work in collaboration with the Ministry of Health in implementing the MOH Order on IMCI Scaling up and providing technical assistance.

Scope of Work/ Work Assignments:

In cooperation with the MOH IMCI Task Force, the consultant will:

1. Develop/adjust unified clinical guidelines and protocols to standardize the management of childhood illnesses based on the IMCI approach at PHC facilities (continue).

2. Develop/adjust the clinical guidelines on the management of COVID-19 in children.

3. Train and mentor national and regional IMCI trainers.

4. Support the development of a capacity-building framework for 5 years.
5. Support the introduction of the M&E component.
6. Guide and support for the implementation of the MOH Order on IMCI Scaling up.
7. Prepare a final report with proposed documents, clinical protocols, and training reports.

Work Assignment Overview

# The consultancy will cover 34 working days in the period between November 1, 2022 – September 15, 2023. The expert is expected to work home-based. The below timeline is a decent attempt at deadlines, considering the period that will be needed for translation, sharing of documents, and receipt of feedback. Depending on the progress and details, more than 2 reviews of some documents may be required, which may affect the timelines:

Tasks/Milestone:

Deliverables/Outputs:

Timeline:

Estimate

Budget:

1. Develop/adjust unified clinical guidelines and protocols to standardize the management of childhood illnesses based on the IMCI approach at PHC facilities (continue).
2. Develop/adjust the clinical guidelines on the management of COVID-19 in children.

At least 10 protocols developed/revised and submitted to UNICEF office (electronic submission)

By March 30, 2023

12 working days

3. Support the introduction of the M&E component of IMCI program implementation.
4. Guide and support the implementation of the MOH Order on IMCI Scaling up. Participate in regular IMCI WG meetings.

M&E component introduced. Effective supervision of the introduction of the IMCI program at scale demonstrated.

By May 30, 2023

10 working days

5. Train and mentor national and regional IMCI trainers.
6. Support the development of a capacity-building framework for 5 years.

National and regional IMCI trainers trained. Capacity-building framework for 5 years developed.

By June 30, 2023

10 working days

7. Prepare a final report with proposed documents, clinical protocols, and training reports.

Final report submitted online.

By September 15, 2023

2 working days

[1] Cochrane review on IMCI (2016) quoted in WHO Report “Towards a Grand Convergence for Child Survival and Health”, November, 2016

Qualifications or Specialized Knowledge/Experience Required

• Advanced University Degree in pediatry with previous training in Integrated Management of Childhood training would be an asset and/or Medical Doctor with experience in working in IMCI over the last 5 years.
• Undertaken work in revision, updating, or development of policies, manuals, and or guidelines previously;
• Minimum of 5 years of relevant professional experience in the one of above areas area with IMCI focus, in particular;
• Demonstrated experience in the Europe and Central Asia region as a strong asset;
• Proven knowledge of United Nations human and child rights standards, UNICEF’s values and ethical standards; Cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality, and age sensitivity and adaptability;
• Excellent command of English, both oral and written; working command of Russian or Turkmen is a strong asset

• Submission of applications

  • The submissions should contain two separate proposals: Technical Proposal and Financial Proposal. Interested individuals are kindly requested to apply and upload the required documents accordingly. The deadline for applications is 07/10/2022.

  Assessment Criteria

  A two-stage procedure shall be utilized in evaluating proposals, with an evaluation of the technical proposal being completed prior to any price proposal being compared. Applications shall therefore contain the following required documentation:

  Technical Proposal

  Each proposal will be assessed first on its technical merits and subsequently on its price. In making the final decision, UNICEF considers both technical and financial aspects to ensure best value for money. The Evaluation Team first reviews the technical aspects of the offer, followed by a review of the financial offers of the technically compliant vendors. The proposal obtaining the highest overall score after adding the scores for the technical and financial proposals together, that offers the best value for money will be recommended for award of the contract.

  The technical proposal should include:

  • A cover letter describing suitability vis-à-vis the requirements of this ToR;

  • A summary of experience in similar assignments;

  • Links to/attachments of examples of similar work;

  • Proposed Workplan against deliverables

  • CV

  • P11 form

  • References

  The technical proposal should address all aspects of the above terms of reference. It will be evaluated against the pre-established technical evaluation criteria. No financial information should be contained in the technical proposal.

  Please make sure to provide sufficient information/substantiating documentation to address all technical evaluation criteria. The assessed technical score must be equal to or exceed 70 of the total 100 points allocated to the technical evaluation in order to be considered technically compliant and for consideration in the financial evaluation.