International Consultancy on Health Systems Strengthening for COVAX. Gaborone, Botswana

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, health and nutrition

How can you make a difference?

Background:

Declared as a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO), COVID-19 has already resulted in 506 deaths in Botswana as of 22 March 2021 and the number of confirmed cases continues to increase, averaging more than 150 cases per day. As of 22 March 2021, a total of 36,077 positive cases of COVID-19 had been reported in the country, with 33,903 recoveries. In response, Botswana has established a multi-sectorial National Public Health Emergency Response Committee; strengthened border control and laboratory capacities; escalated contact tracing as well as provision of isolation and quarantine facilities across the country. A mixed approach prevention strategy that included public health prevention measures (wearing masks, social distancing, hand washing etc.) and control of movements of persons (lockdowns) have been deployed as containment measures. To add to the complexity of the COVID-19 pandemic, Botswana has recently isolated the new variant, 501Y.V2 that first emerged in South Africa and is suspected to be driving the surge in COVID-19 cases. Botswana has since adopted a multi-pronged approach to management of SARS-COV2 positive patients, with asymptomatic, mild cases isolated at home or at facility isolation centers throughout the country. These isolation centers range from clinics and old hospitals to hotels and vocational training schools that have been re-purposed for isolating COVID-19 patients. Moderate, severe and critical patients are managed at the national COVID-19 treatment center in Gaborone; Sir Ketumile Masire Teaching Hospital.

The National vaccine deployment plan has been endorsed and uploaded to the COVAX portal as of February 2021. The Government of Botswana is committed to accelerating the deployment of the COVID-19 vaccines and has joined the COVAX Facility, a mechanism for pooled procurement and equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines. As a middle-income country, Botswana is a self-financing country committed to purchasing and distributing the COVID-19 vaccines. In Phase 1, a total of 153,090 persons will be targeted. Phase 2 will target 503,309 individuals and Phase 3 will cover a further 908,924 individuals to attain the total target of 1,565,323 persons. Government plans to start COVID-19 vaccination before the end of March and expects to complete the process by the end of December 2021. Through the COVAX facility, Botswana can expect to receive 117,600 - 199,200 (indicative doses) of the AstraZeneca AZD1222 vaccine, for which the first batch is expected before the end of March. On 9 March 2021, the country received a donation of 30,000 Covishield vaccines from India.

While the year 2020 was characterized by responding to the immediate effects of the pandemic on service suspension, the safe resumption and acceleration of essential service delivery, alongside the vaccine roll-out and support to wider post COVID-19 resilience efforts are critical for 2021. The introduction of a safe and effective vaccine has now become a public health priority for the country and the President of Botswana has committed to start vaccinations by the end of March 2021. UNICEF is working with the Government of Botswana and the World Health Organization (WHO) to support the procurement of vaccines through COVAX. However, the introduction of a COVID-19 vaccine at scale will pose challenges to a fragile health system that has been further weakened by the pandemic. To this end, UNICEF is seeking technical support to support the vaccine deployment plans.

Scope of Work:

A consultant is being sought to work closely with the UNICEF health specialist, UNICEF senior management and the Botswana Ministry of Health and Wellness to support the Covid-19 vaccine roll-out. The areas of support focus on programme planning and implementation in relation to the vaccine roll-out, monitoring and evaluation of the national vaccine deployment, capacity-building as well as partner engagement and resource mobilization with regard to vaccine deployment.

Work Assignment Overview

Tasks/Milestone:

Deliverables/Outputs:

Timeline

Estimate Budget

Provide technical guidance to MoHW on vaccine roll-out and monitor work progress in the NDVP and support efforts to ensure that are achieved according to schedule and in alignment with performance standards.

Approved monitoring reports on national vaccine roll out

Continuous

May – Oct

Support the planning, budgeting and coordination of vaccine rollout and manages assigned areas, in order to ensure timely delivery of results working closely with the UNICEF Vaccine deployment team and WHO technical teams to support Government

Monthly progress updates on actions taken to ensure timely delivery of results and highlighting areas requiring immediate support

Continuous

May – Oct

Provides strategic, logistical and programmatic support to the BCO Vaccine deployment team and other UNICEF senior management staff on corporate engagement and interaction with assigned partners. Highlight to UNICEF senior management areas requiring immediate support.

Continuous

May – Oct

Provides strategic advice on the monitoring and evaluation, of COVID-19 vaccine roll-out, including tracking of vaccination coverage, including on the use of existing systems and the establishment of new ones

Approved vaccination coverage and adverse events following immunization (AEFI)reports including updates on key indicators

Continuous

May – Oct

Findings, experiences, lessons learned, best practices and new methods are systematically captured, analyzed and effectively shared with program staff in UNICEF Botswana and the ESA Regional Office

Documented lessons learned and best practices (at least 3) shared with UNICEF Botswana, ESARO and Government of Botswana

Continuous

May – Oct

Supports the identification of training needs assessments and development of training material for health workers and others involved in the deployment of COVID-19 tools, including on monitoring of adverse events, in collaboration with WHO and partners.

Approved training needs assessment report.

Continuous

May – Oct

Seeks and promotes new partnerships and resource mobilization, working with UNICEF colleagues to identify partnership and resource mobilization needs and broker resource mobilization for the deployment of COVID_19 vaccine

Draft partnership strategy for national COVID-19 vaccination roll out

Continuous

May – Oct

Administrative Issues

The candidate selected will be governed by and subject to UNICEF’s General Terms and Conditions for individual contracts.

Additional details of UNICEF rules, regulations and conditions will be attached to the contract.

The consultant will use his/her own equipment to produce deliverables. Office space will be provided at UNICEF as available and necessary.

No contract may commence unless the contract is signed by both UNICEF and the consultant.

The consultant is not entitled to payment for overtime, weekends or public holidays, medical insurance and taxes.

No travel should take place without an email travel authorization from section prior to the commencement of the journey from the duty station.

Standard UNICEF procedures will apply for invoicing and all other financial management requirements set out in the contract.

Standard penalty clauses will also apply for late and poor-quality deliverables. The supervisor of the contract will provide the consultant with the criteria for the evaluation of the quality of each deliverable.

Consultant will be required to sign the Health Statement for consultants/individual contractor prior to taking up the assignment, and to share an appropriate proof of health insurance covering COVID-19, including Medical Evacuation.

As per UNICEF DFAM policy, payment is made on monthly bases against approved deliverables for the month. No advance payment is allowed unless in exceptional circumstances against bank guarantee, subject to a maximum of 30 Per cent of the total contract value in cases where advance purchases, for example for supplies or travel, may be necessary.

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

• Master’s in public health/nutrition, family health, health research, global/international health, health policy and/or management, environmental health sciences, biostatistics, socio-medical, health education, epidemiology, or another relevant technical field
• Minimum of 8 years of experience in designing, implementing and monitoring EPI and public health programs at national level, including in low- or middle-income settings
• Demonstrated experience with new vaccine introduction experience is considered an advantage
• Proven experience working in child health, working in child health in low- or middle-income settings, an advantage

Familiarity with WHO/UNICEF guidelines in child health and immunization

Skills:

• Ability to work independently, under pressure, and within deadlines, including strong planning and coordination skills

Good communication, advocacy and people skills and the ability to communicate with various stakeholders and to express concisely and clearly ideas and concepts in written and oral form.

Knowledge:

• Experience working with UNICEF and WHO is an asset
• Solid knowledge and expertise working with multiple technical agencies working in the immunization field.
• In-depth knowledge on immunization, introduction of new vaccines, knowledge on AEFI, risk management, writing strategies, policies, knowledge and experience with data collection, data management analysis and reporting are essential.

Languages

Professional level knowledge of written and spoken English is a requirement. All reports must be submitted in English.

Payment of professional fees will be based on submission of agreed deliverables. UNICEF reserves the right to withhold payment in case the deliverables submitted are not up to the required standard or in case of delays in submitting the deliverables on the part of the consultant

HOW TO APPLY

Qualified candidates are requested to complete an application, including a profile and a technical proposal to the respective advertisement online. Please indicate your ability, availability and financial proposal/quote to complete the terms of reference above.

Rates must include all expenses related to the assignment (e.g. consultancy fee, field trips across the five selected regions, living allowance).

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA) and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

Click here to learn more about UNICEF’s values and competencies.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

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.

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Added 3 years ago - Updated 2 years ago - Source: unicef.org