Management Sciences for Health (MSH), a global health nonprofit organization, uses proven approaches developed over 40 years to help leaders, health managers, and communities in developing nations build stronger health systems for greater health impact. We work to save lives by closing the gap between knowledge and action in public health.
We are recruiting to fill the position below:
Job Title: Consultant I
Job ID: 13-9993
Location: Abuja
Reports To: Senior Technical Manager, Malaria
Overview
Sub-Saharan Africa still bears over eighty percent (80%) of the global malaria burden, of which Nigeria contributes 27%. Nigeria therefore suffers from the highest malaria burden in the world and it is estimated that 50% of the population will have at least one episode per year
Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health (RMNCH) covers the health concerns and interventions involving women before, during and after pregnancy; newborns, that is, the first 28 days of life; and children up to their fifth birthday. Pregnant women have an increased susceptibility to malaria infection, and malaria in pregnancy (MiP) contributes to devastating outcomes for the pregnant woman, her fetus and newborn, including maternal anemia, maternal death, stillbirth, spontaneous abortion, and low birth weight. In Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), MiP contributes to an estimated 20% of all stillbirths and 11% of all newborn deaths.¹ However, in Nigeria, malaria takes its greatest toll among children under five, responsible for 14% of all deaths.
Management Sciences for Health (MSH) is an international non-governmental organization that builds strong health systems that deliver everything it takes—people, money, medicine, information, and facilities—to prevent disease, treat illness, and empower people to lead healthier lives. For more than 45 years in over 150 countries, MSH has worked shoulder to shoulder with our partners to build strong, locally-led, health systems that improve reproductive, maternal and child health; fight infectious disease; and control chronic illness.
In Nigeria, MSH is a sub-recipient to Catholic Relief Services (CRS) on the Global Fund Malaria grant from January 2018 to December 2020, and will be supporting the integration of malaria services with RMNCH services. With an integrated MAL-RMNCH strategy, Nigeria may be able to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal for health (SDG 3.1) target for reduction of maternal mortality to less than 70 per 100,000 live births by 2030. With increased actions at all levels, the overall impact on maternal and child health indicators may improve.
Qualifications/Requirements
The consultant is expected to meet the following requirements;
The consultant is expected to meet the following requirements;
- Have an M.B.B.S/M.D or PhD
- Be willing to travel within Nigeria
- Be available to begin the consultancy immediately
- Postgraduate training in OB-GYN, Pediatrics, Community Medicine, Epidemiology, Public Health or Medical Statistics
- Over 15 years post-graduation experience working in public health programs within and outside Nigeria
- Experience with carrying out similar consultancy (research/surveys, development of national policies/documents, etc.) in malaria programming
Purpose and Objectives
- The goal of integrating malaria and RMNCH is to leverage existing RMNCH strategies to reach every woman and child with malaria service and care, building on the gains already established by both programmes, achievement of the SDGs and reaching more people with integrated approach.
The proposed strategy aims to achieve the following;
- An improved coordination mechanism for integration of malaria services with RMNCH where the reproductive health unit is providing leadership for MiP technical working groups at national and sub-national levels
- As highlighted above the current situation shows a need to strengthen the connections between reproductive health interventions and malaria services at national and sub-national levels and this integration approach hopes to leverage the resources that are being provided in this Global Fund Malaria grant to help improve RMNCH services in general.
- Therefore, leveraging available malaria resources that supports improved MIP and child health services will improve overall ANC and child health services.
- This will be achieved with training and by improving commodity distribution for other ANC and child health-related commodities such as iron-folate, zinc, antibiotics and the like.
- Improved quality of care by increasing the provision and uptake of MAL-RMNCH preventive and treatment services at health facility and community levels
- Improved reproductive health (RH) and child health indicators
- To provide technical support to RH national program to be responsible for MAL-RMNCH indicators
- Essential to achieving these goals will be efforts to strengthen the provision of information and the delivery of integrated health services for all women, newborns, children and adolescents through ensuring high-quality care across the continuum of care to ensure those most in need have access to high quality services.
Specific Objectives for the integration:
- To increase the provision and uptake of MAL-RMNCH preventive services.
- To have key areas for partners coordination and experience sharing regarding similar integration strategies in Nigeria
- To galvanize political will and ownership and thereby national funds allocation for increased funding support for integration of MAL-RMNCH
- To provide technical support to 13 states in the early phase of implementation of MAL-RMNCH strategy.
- To develop framework for operationalizing MAL-RMNCH integration in the 13 Global Fund implementing states
- To document experiences and evaluate progress for country-wide roll out of the MAL-RMNCH integration strategy
- MSH will be supporting this integration across 13 Global Fund supported states namely; Adamawa, Delta, Gombe, Jigawa, Niger, Kaduna, Kano, Kwara, Katsina, Ogun, Osun, Taraba and Yobe states.
Terms of Reference for Rmnch Consultant
- The consultancy is proposed for an initial period of 30 days with possible renewal after satisfactory delivery of expected outcomes.
Deliverables:
- To develop an integration framework that will define the scope of the MAL-RMNCH integration
- To develop an evaluation protocol and tools for a baseline and endline assessment on the current integration situation across the 13 states in close conjunction with the MSH Nigeria team and MSH home office team
- To pilot test all data collection tools, adapt and finalize prior to roll out
- To obtain IRB clearance where necessary
- Analysis plan: to develop an analysis plan (including dummy tables) prior to analyzing the data in conjunction with MSH Nigeria and MSH home office
- To conduct the analysis of findings from the baseline survey
- To develop a comprehensive technical report detailing the findings of the baseline assessment in conjunction with MSH Nigeria and MSH home office
- To proffer innovative strategies and recommendations for roll-out and operationalization of the proposed MAL-RMNCH integration
- Any other tasks that maybe required in relation to the integration
Role of MSH:
- MSH supervising technical staff will liaise with the consultant on a day to day basis to provide needed support throughout the period.
- MSH Home Office will support consultant, and review all deliverables
- Provide all the financial and logistic requirements – accommodation and per-diem for the consultant, consultancy fees will be negotiated according to the level of expertise.
- In collaboration with the consultant ensure that each of the national stakeholders take responsibility for the new system and see it as an improvement towards their work process.
Role of Consultant:
- Perform the roles specified in the TOR above.
Application Deadline 16th April, 2018.
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