National Consultant - Child and Adolescent Non-Communicable Diseases (For Nepalese Nationals Only)

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

In Nepal, non-communicable diseases or NCDs claimed 71.12 percent of total deaths in 2019, becoming the leading cause of deaths (NHRC 2019). The same study shows that among children and adolescents aged under 20, NCDs were responsible for 25.31 per cent of total DALY in 2019, which is the second largest proportion after communicable, maternal, and nutritional deficiencies with 66.83 percent. While many NCDs have their origins in childhood, some NCDs occur even during childhood and adolescent period, such as asthma, diabetes, and heart disease. NCDs undermine children’s and adolescents’ right to health, nutrition, education, and play. This suggests that there is an urgent need to alleviate the present and future burden of NCDs, through the prevention and management of NCDs, including detection, screening, treatment, and palliative care for those in need.

Government of Nepal adapted the WHO package of essential non-communicable diseases (PEN). The WHO PEN covers detection, diagnosis, treatment and care of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and chronic respiratory diseases, as well as the early diagnosis of cancer. Given the limitations of the adult-centric PEN package, and because of the need for different modalities of prevention and management approaches for childhood and adolescent NCDs, UNICEF agreed with the Government to implement the PEN-Plus program. The PEN-Plus focuses on alleviating the burden of NCDs among the poorest population, including children and adolescents by improving the accessibility and the quality of chronic care services for severe NCDs, such as type 1 diabetes (T1D), rheumatic heart disease (RHD), asthma and sickle cell disease, among many others.

One of the objectives of PEN-Plus program is to strengthen primary health care and referral system for prevention and management NCDs among children and adolescents. In collaboration with Kathmandu Institute of Child Health (KIOCH), UNICEF is supporting scale up of the PEN-Plus programme package in four primary referral sites, one each in Karnali, Lumbini, Sudurpaschim, and Madhesh provinces. In those four districts, a model of holistic programme package of strengthening the primary care and referral, prevention, local advocacy, promotion activities, and management of the local cases will be implemented. At the same time, UNICEF is supporting the National Health Research Council (NHRC) to conduct a national population-based prevalence study on NCDs among children and adolescents. The findings from this study will enable better understanding of the situation in terms of NCDs among children and adolescents and inform the implementation of the PEN-Plus package.

How can you make a difference?

Scope of Work:

Specific tasks with implementing partner KIOCH

• Analysis of health system readiness of health institutions to establish PEN plus clinic sites in selected health institutions
• Review the package of PEN-Plus clinical protocol to ensure child and adolescent NCDs are reflected with local and global scientific evidence
• Provide technical inputs in development of PEN Plus training manuals for Medical doctors, health workers and FCHVs in close collaboration with EDCD, NHTC, NHEICC, PEN plus TWG and KIOCH
• Ensure set-up of four PEN-Plus pilot sites, through providing technical inputs and coordination support to the implementation partner

• Field visits to monitor PEN-Plus sites and report to the Health Specialist to ensure effective implementation

  Specific tasks with NHRC

• Proposal development for the prevalence study of NCDs among children and adolescents, in close collaboration with NHRC and TWG

• Technical inputs to research team in data analysis, support in draft research report, manuscript preparation, as deemed necessary
• Conduct field visits to monitor data collection

Emergency

• Collaborate with EDCD to support section in public health emergency preparedness and response, as and when necessary

TASK

• Development of work plan
• Analysis of health system readiness of health institutions to establish PEN plus clinic sites in selected health institutions
• Review the package of PEN-Plus clinical protocol to ensure child and adolescent NCDs are reflected with local and global scientific evidence.
• Support NHRC in proposal development for the prevalence study of NCDs among children and adolescents, in close collaboration with research team and TWG
• Provide technical inputs in development of PEN Plus training manuals for medical doctors, health workers and FCHVs in close collaboration with EDCD, NHTC, NHEICC, PEN plus TWG and KIOCH.
• Support NHRC in pilot study
• Support EDCD in Public Health Emergency Response
• Support the implementing partner in the roll-out of the PEN-Plus programme
• Field visits to monitor PEN-Plus sites and report to the Health Specialist to ensure effective implementation
• Support section in coordinating donor visits
• Documentation and knowledge sharing of NCD program as necessary
• Support NHRC in piloting of research, document changes and adaptation in research
• Provide technical input to research team in data analysis, support in draft research report, manuscript preparation, as deemed necessary.
• Conduct field visits to monitor data collection

First Deliverable

• Inception report with a workplan developed for the whole consultancy period to finalize methodology, activities, timeline, and deliverables

Second Deliverable

• Report on health system readiness assessment
• Final PEN-Plus clinical protocol
• Final proposal for the prevalence study with NHRC

Third Deliverable

• PEN Plus training manuals for medical doctors, health workers, and FCHVs
• Report of pilot study and recommendation for changes
• Report outlining support on public health emergency at EDCD

Fourth Deliverable

• Field report of establishment of PEN Plus sites in 4 selected districts
• Field reports on NHRC research progress updates
• A draft donor visit plan, a draft donor visit implementation report, and other related documents and arrangement for the visit

Fifth Deliverable

• Field report of health workers and FCHVs trained, following PEN-Plus training packages
• Field visit reports for monitoring the research data collection process

Sixth Deliverable

• Report of roll-out of PEN-Plus initiated in the pilot sites within defined timescales
• Draft research report/manuscript that shares the findings from the prevalence study
• Final report

Duration:

The Duration of the assignment is for the period of 12 months tentatively starting from 01 March 2023

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

Minimum Qualifications required:

• Master’s Degree in Medicine, Public health/international health/global health/community medicine, nursing, or related field of study.

Knowledge/Expertise/Skills required:

• At least five (5) years of progressively responsible professional work experience in public health, including program planning and management. Prior work experience with UN Agency will be an asset.
• Experience in areas of child and adolescent health or NCD health service provision preferred.
• Experience in developing health related guidelines or packages.
• Able to support large scale prevalence study with Government stakeholders.
• Having worked in very close collaboration with Government and stakeholders and academia.
• Good written and spoken Nepali and English languages.
• Good working relations with federal level multi sector partners.
• Good interpersonal skills, team-oriented, work adaptation in multi-cultural environments, proven ability to facilitate cooperation in a multidisciplinary team.
• Self-motivated, ability to work with minimum supervision, punctual, and dedicated to quality work.

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 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:

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 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.

NOTE: Female candidates and candidates from the under-represented ethnic groups are encouraged to apply.

Applicants are requested to submit their financial quotation in Nepalese Currency based on the deliverables indicated in the Vacancy.