National Consultant – Health Systems

Purpose of consultancy

The purpose of this consultancy is to provide strategic and targeted technical support and policy advice to the implementation of the WHO Country Office (WCO) workplan in support of health systems reforms in Tunisia.

Background

The National Health Policy of Tunisia (Politique Nationale de Santé, PNS) was developed based on societal dialogue with inputs from key sectors and the population with the overall aim to advance progress on universal health coverage (UHC). The PNS was signed by the Presidency of the Government in 2021. The policy has five strategic objectives: (1), make family health and primary health care the backbone of the health system, (2) develop an essential service package (ESP) for all, (3) establish a unified health coverage scheme (Régime de base unifié, RBU), (4) build the capacity of the public sector to deliver on its mission, and (5) ensure protection of citizens’ health. The Department of Planning of MOH (Direction des études et de la planification, DEP) is in the process of finalizing and validating a Strategic Plan for the implementation of the PNS.

The WCO, in collaboration with WHO HQ and the Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office (EMRO) is supporting the MOH and other stakeholders to reform and strengthen the health system. WHO’s support is guided by the PNS and the forthcoming Strategic Plan and addresses all health systems building blocks. The support is delivered through different modalities, such as policy advice, technical support, capacity building, and sharing of best practices and lessons learned from other countries.

The WCO Health Systems Team is seeking the services of a national consultant to provide strategic advice and targeted technical support to the implementation of the WHO workplan in support of health systems reform in Tunisia. There are three key objectives of the consultancy:

a. Provide technical support to the definition and operationalization of the ESP.

b. Assess current health financing mechanisms and design an approach to the establishment of the RBU.

Advise on the design (scope, format, content, etc.) of two multisectoral events in Tunisia: (1) forum on primary health care (PHC) for UHC, and (2) policy dialogue event on medicine financing.

Deliverables

Output 1: Technical support to define an approach for hospital financing reform.

Deliverable 1.1: Conduct in-depth analysis and benchmark of the hospital financing model in Tunisia.

Deliverable 1.2: Develop a concept note defining required policy decisions and technical support for consideration by WHO in coordination with relevant partners to support hospital financing reform.

Output 2: Assess current health financing mechanisms and design an approach to the establishment of the RBU in alignment with ongoing work on a strategic plan for implementation of the national health policy (PNS).

Deliverable 2.1: Assess existing health coverage schemes, including health financing and social protection mechanisms, to identify gaps.

Deliverable 2.2: Develop a concept note outlining an approach to the establishment of the RBU, including required technical support, capacity building, and multisectoral dialogue.

Output 3: Effectively participate in the organization of two multisectoral events in Tunisia by developing:

Deliverable 3.1: Concept note (with objectives, scope, format, potential content, suggested speakers and participants, etc.) for forum on primary health care (PHC) for UHC.

Deliverable 3.2 Concept note (with objectives, scope, format, potential content, suggested speakers and participants, etc.) for policy dialogue event on the modalities of access to medicines and the mechanisms of their financing in the context of the creation of the RBU.

Education

Essential: Master’s degree in health economics or public health, or related field

Desirable: PhD in health economics or public health, or related field.

Experience

Essential: Minimum 5 years of experience in designing, implementing, and monitoring health systems reforms in Tunisia.

Skills/Knowledge

• Demonstrated expertise in health systems concepts and practical application
• Demonstrated analytical skills
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Strong oral and written communication skills
• Ability to collaborate with partners effectively as part of a team
• Proficiency in MS Office software applications

Languages

Essential: Expert knowledge of French and Arabic.

Desirable: Expert knowledge of English

Location

Tunisia

Travel

No travel to Tunisia is envisioned for this consultancy.

Medical clearance

A signed and stamped medical certificate is to be provided.

Hiring Unit

WHO Country Office Tunisia

Remuneration and Expected duration of the contract (Maximum contract duration is 11 months per calendar year)

• Remuneration: at national pay rate of NOD
• Expected duration of the contract: 50 days

WHO Competencies

Enhanced WHO Global Competency Model: Enhanced WHO global competency model

Interested candidates are strongly encouraged to apply online through Stellis. For assessment of your application, please ensure that:

• Your profile on Stellis is properly completed and updated.
• All required details regarding your qualifications, education, and training are provided.
• Your experience records are entered with elaboration on tasks performed at the time.

Additional information

• This vacancy notice may be used to identify candidates for other similar consultancies at the same level.
• Only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted.
• A written test may be used as a form of screening.
• If 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.
• For information on WHO’s operations please visit: http://www.who.int.
• WHO is committed to workforce diversity.
• WHO has a smoke-free environment and does not recruit smokers or users of any form of tobacco.
• Applications from women and from nationals of non and underrepresented Member States are particularly encouraged.
• WHO prides itself on a workforce that adheres to the highest ethical and professional standards and is committed to putting 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.
• Consultants shall perform the work as independent contractors in a personal capacity, and not as a representative of any entity or authority. The execution of the work under a consultant contract does not create an employer/employee relationship between WHO and the Consultant.
• WHO shall have no responsibility whatsoever for any taxes, duties, social security contributions, or other contributions payable by the Consultant. The Consultant shall be solely responsible for withholding and paying any taxes, duties, social security contributions, and any other contributions which are applicable to the Consultant in each location/jurisdiction in which the work hereunder is performed, and the Consultant shall not be entitled to any reimbursement thereof by WHO.