Contract

This is a No grade contract. More about No grade contracts.

1. Background: Medical Male circumcision in South Africa

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Voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC) has been shown to reduce men’s risk of HIV infection by about 60% lower compared with those who delayed circumcision. In 2007, WHO and UNAIDS recommended that VMMC should be part of a combination HIV prevention strategy for the prevention of HIV in men in settings with high HIV prevalence.

South Africa had an estimated 7.8 million people living with HIV by the end of 2020 (UNAIDS, 2020). The fourth National Strategic Plan for HIV, TB and STIs 2017-2022 (NSP)’s primary goal is to reduce the incidence of new HIV infections in South Africa using combination prevention approaches. In recent years, South Africa has seen a decline in HIV incidence, attributed to a combination of interventions including the aggressive implementation of the Medical Male Circumcision (VMMC) programme. At the end of 2020, the National VMMC programme in South Africa had circumcised just above 4.8 million men, supported by PEPFAR and the RT35 contracts.

Monitoring the quality of VMMC service provision is key to the success and scale-up of the VMMC program. In 2019, the National Department of Health (NDOH) conducted its first External Quality Assurance (EQA), with technical assistance from the World Health Organization (WHO), funded by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) South Africa. It was the largest EQA ever to be conducted in South Africa, covering a total of 113 VMMC sites. NDOH plans to conduct another EQA in 2021, aimed at covering at least 200 VMMC sites.

The World health Organization will provide technical support in the implementation of the EQA and will continue to support the VMMC programme. To be able to support the NDOH, WHO is planning to appoint a short-term service provider to assist with the technical support in the implementation of the EQA.for the VMMC programme.

2. Objectives

The main objective of this consultancy is provided technical support in improving access and quality of services for the VVMC programme in South Africa.

Summary of Responsibilities

The service provider is expected to work closely with NDOH and WHO and do the following:

• Provide guidance and technical support to SA National department of health in activities that will promote safe and effective VMMC programming
• Works with DOH in strengthening oversight in the implementation of quality VMMC services
• Support development of VMMC policy and guidance
• Supports NDOH in ensuring high quality standards for the VMMC services, including monitoring of adverse events
• Assist with preparations for the VMMC EQA at provincial, district and site levels, and support implementation of recommendations from the EQA, and share lessons learnt
• Support the provision of quality health services to men and boys across the life course, within the VMMC programme
• Assists with the follow-through of site-level performance improvement plans where appropriate
• Timely compilation of the required technical and project reports with regards to activities carried out by the WHO office within VMMC programme
• Any other duties as assigned by the South African HIV technical officer

Education and experience Essential:

• A Medical degree or master’s degree in public health or equivalent

• Minimum 3 years’ experience implementing public health programs and working with various stakeholders

• 2 years’ Experience and knowledge of HIV and/or VMMC programming
• 2 years’ Experience working with the Department of Health
• Knowledge of quality assurance (QA) principles in general, including VMMC QA
• Demonstration of good writing skills
• Demonstration of understanding of VMMC policy in SA

Desired

• Medical degree as undergraduate

Use of Language

• Expert knowledge of English

Proposed period: 12 months

Grade: NOC level