National Professional Officer – Patient Safety and Quality

Contract

This is a NO-B contract. This kind of contract is known as National Professional Officers. It is normally only for nationals. It's a staff contract. It usually requires 2 years of experience, depending on education. More about NO-B contracts.

OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAMME

WHO India Country Office collaborates with the Government of India and relevant stakeholders within the framework of the collaborative Country Cooperation Strategy (CCS), to actively support the development and implementation of national health policies, strategies and plans in health systems strengthening. The WHO-India programme of work supports the Government of India (Gol) by:1.Providing technical support in developing national policies, strategies and activities in health systems strengthening and including health financing and health insurance.2.Providing technical support for implementation and activities to reform and strengthen health service delivery, primary health care and to improve quality of health services.3.Advocating for Universal Health Coverage and building up national (and state level, as and where required) capacity in UHC related matters.4.Facilitating the adoption of evidence based public health interventions as well as appropriate reforms/changes with a view to promote equity and accelerate the movement towards Universal Health Coverage. Underlying Values and Core Functions of WHO: WHO's mandate revolves around six (6) leadership priorities, specifically: (i) advancing Universal Health Coverage; (ii) health related sustainable development goals; (iii) addressing the challenge of non-communicable diseases and mental health, violence and injuries and disabilities; (iv) implementing the provisions of the International Health Regulations (2005); (v) increasing access to quality, safe, efficacious and affordable medical products; (vi) addressing the social, economic and environmental determinants of health. The South-East Asia Region (SEAR) of WHO is made up of 11 countries, with over 1.9 billion people, with India's population of 1.4 billion. All the Member States of WHO/SEAR (Bangladesh, Bhutan, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, India, Indonesia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Timor-Leste) share the common value of the highest attainable standard of health as a fundamental human right. All of WHO actions are based on this and rooted in the underlying values of equity, solidarity and participation. The mission of WHO India is to improve quality of life of the 1.4 billion people in India by supporting the government in eliminating vaccine preventable and other communicable diseases, reducing maternal and neonatal mortalities, promoting healthy lifestyles, addressing determinants of health, preparing and responding to health emergencies and strengthening health systems for universal health coverage.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

Under the overall guidance of the Deputy Head of WHO Country Office, India, and the direct supervision of the Team Leader, Health Systems, the incumbent will have the following responsibilities:

1. To collaborate with the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MOHFW), Govt of India and other relevant stakeholders to implement the agreed work plan and activities for the Global Patient Safety Collaborative (GPSC) in India.

2. To develop and operationalize strategies to strengthen capacity on patient safety and quality among identified national and sub-national stakeholders.

3. To facilitate and support leadership development and operational research on patient safety and quality at both national and state level.

4. To identify and establish collaboration with national institutions and stakeholders to implement components of the GPSC.

5. To provide technical support to the MoHFW on agreed activities to operationalize the National Patient Safety Implementation Framework (NPSIF).

6. To collaborate and coordinate with various members of the health systems team and other teams in the India WCO India working on quality of health services, infection prevention and control (IPC) and anti-microbial resistance (AMR) and implement collaborative activities.

7. To provide technical inputs on patient safety and health care quality more broadly, to strengthen health systems and thereby accelerate progress towards universal health coverage

8. Perform any other duties assigned by the supervisor(s).

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education

Essential: University degree in medicine or related health field from a recognized institution. Desirable: Master's in public health, training in patient safety, infection prevention and control or related area of health care quality and safety.

Experience

Essential: At least two (2) years of work experience in public health, with focus on any aspect of health care quality and safety.

Desirable: Past experience of working in relevant areas with government health officials and other relevant stakeholders; and working with UN agencies would be an asset. Knowledge of WHO policies and guidelines and WHO SEAR flagship programmes and strategies. Knowledge of WHO/UN programmes and practices.

Skills

The incumbent should identify with the core values of the World Health Organization. Demonstrated leadership ability and proven ability to work with senior government officials and other national and international staff. Thorough knowledge of the situation, needs and challenges in India regarding patient safety, including infection prevention and control, and health care quality more broadly; ability to work with senior government officials and other national and international staff; good knowledge of the working of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and other related departments/ministries; extensive knowledge of patient safety. Knowledge and experience with global funding and technical initiatives that support patient safety and quality. Ability to build and maintain relations and network with national authorities and other stakeholders across relevant sectors. Understanding of the potential motivating factors within national context and ability to adjust to new approaches in an increasingly complex environment. Modern management skills (planning and evaluation, etc.). Capacity to convey information and options in a structured and credible way; ability to speak and write clearly. Proficiency in computer applications and ability to draft reports. Excellent communication, teamwork and coordination skills as well as strong analytical skills and experience with technical reporting.

WHO Competencies

• Teamwork
• Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences
• Communication
• Producing results
• Building and promoting partnerships across the organization and beyond

Use of Language Skills

Essential: Expert knowledge of English. Intermediate knowledge of Hindi.

Desirable:

REMUNERATION

Remuneration comprises an annual base salary starting at INR 2,626,256 (subject to mandatory deductions for pension contributions and health insurance, as applicable) and 30 days of annual leave.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• This vacancy notice may be used to fill other similar positions at the same grade level

• Only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted.

• A written test may be used as a form of screening.

• In the event that your candidature is retained for an interview, you will be required to provide, in advance, a scanned copy of the degree(s)/diploma(s)/certificate(s) required for this position. WHO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU)/United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed through the link: http://www.whed.net/. Some professional certificates may not appear in the WHED and will require individual review.

• Any appointment/extension of appointment is subject to WHO Staff Regulations, Staff Rules and Manual.

• For information on WHO's operations please visit: http://www.who.int.

• WHO is committed to workforce diversity.

• WHO prides itself on a workforce that adheres to the highest ethical and professional standards and that is committed to put the WHO Values Charter into practice.

• WHO has zero tolerance towards sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA), sexual harassment and other types of abusive conduct (i.e., discrimination, abuse of authority and harassment). All members of the WHO workforce have a role to play in promoting a safe and respectful workplace and should report to WHO any actual or suspected cases of SEA, sexual harassment and other types of abusive conduct. To ensure that individuals with a substantiated history of SEA, sexual harassment or other types of abusive conduct are not hired by the Organization, WHO will conduct a background verification of final candidates.

• WHO has a smoke-free environment and does not recruit smokers or users of any form of tobacco.

• This is a National Professional Officer position. Therefore, only applications from nationals of the country where the duty station is located will be accepted. Applicants who are not nationals of this country will not be considered.