Consultant – Country support on Rehabilitation and Assistive Technology

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Purpose of the Consultancy

The consultant will provide technical support in the development, implementation and monitoring of national strategic plans for rehabilitation and assistive technology, in line with the recommendations of the Western Pacific Regional Framework on Rehabilitation.  It will also provide support for two areas of work being led by WHO HQ in relation to Rehabilitation 2030 and the resolution WHA 76.6 ‘strengthening rehabilitation in health systems’.

Background

Among the many and diverse health needs populations currently experience, those that require rehabilitation are going largely unmet. Lack of access to skilled rehabilitation workers and assistive technology, as well as maldistribution of services and financial barriers prevent people from receiving the care they need, when and where they need it. The WHA resolution on strengthening rehabilitation in health systems calls for expanding and integrating rehabilitation as part of UHC, emphasizing the importance of rehabilitation in primary care and as part of emergency preparedness and response. The ambitions of the resolution are further reflected in the Western Pacific Regional Framework for Rehabilitation, which provides recommendations for WHO and Member States to strengthen 1) Rehabilitation service availability and quality; 2) Rehabilitation governance and financing; 3) Rehabilitation workforce; and 4) Rehabilitation data and research.

The Health Policy and Service Design (HPS) Unit under the Division of Health Systems supports Member States to develop and implement policies, strategies, and plans and service delivery design, to strengthen health systems to deliver universal health coverage. Part of its mandate is to provide technical support in the planning, implementation and monitoring of priority actions under the Western Pacific Regional Framework on Rehabilitation, in accordance with country-specific needs and priorities.

Under the oversight of the responsible officer, the consultant is expected to support Member States and rehabilitation stakeholders in planning, implementing, and evaluating activities that seek to expand the integration of rehabilitation and assistive technology in health systems. The consultant will also support roll out of related WHO technical products to strengthen rehabilitation governance, financing, information, workforce, assistive products and service delivery.

With regard to the two activities being undertaken at a global level; the consultant is expected to finalize work on a technical note for rehabilitation in national health accounts and finalize drafting version 2 of the Rehabilitation in Health Systems: Guide for Action. These are two important products that are being developed or revised to strengthen global, regional and country capacities to strengthen rehabilitation within health systems.

Deliverables

The consultant will provide support to the Western Pacific Regional Office and its Member States and WHO HQ in efforts to strengthen health systems to deliver quality rehabilitation and assistive technology, based on request and need. The consultant may be called on to perform the following activities:

Output 1: Country support to Member States in the development or ongoing implementation of their national rehabilitation strategic plans. Specifically:

• Provide technical support to the WHO Country Office, Ministry of Health and relevant stakeholders in Cambodia to develop a national strategic plan and monitoring and evaluation framework for rehabilitation and assistive technology utilizing the WHO Rehabilitation in Health Systems: Guide for Action and ATA-C methodology and tools; 
• Provide technical support to the Country Office, Ministry of Health and relevant stakeholders in Laos PDR to implement a national rehabilitation workforce evaluation, training in assistive products to select health personnel, and expand access to rehabilitation in primary care;

   

• Provide technical support to the WHO Country Office, Ministry of Health and relevant stakeholders in Mongolia to hold a national workshop on rehabilitation and assistive technology and establish a short-term action plan to facilitate the implementation of the national rehabilitation strategic plan; 
• Provide technical support to the WHO Country Office and Ministry of Health in Viet Nam in the implementation of their national rehabilitation action plan as requested; 
• Provide technical support to the WHO Country Office, Ministry of Health and Pacific partners in the implementation of Fiji’s national rehabilitation and disability inclusion strategic plan and in the planning and establishment of a rehabilitation telehealth service; 
• Provide technical support to the WHO Country Office, Ministry of Health and Pacific partners in the implementation of the Solomon Island’s national rehabilitation and disability inclusion strategic plan; and 
• Provide technical support to the WHO Country Office, Ministry of Health and Pacific partners in Papua New Guinea to develop a national strategic plan and monitoring and evaluation framework for rehabilitation and assistive technology utilizing the WHO Rehabilitation in Health Systems: Guide for Action and ATA-C methodology and tools. 
  • Deliverable 1.1: Progress reports on the implementation of national rehabilitation strategic plan objectives for Cambodia, Laos PDR, Viet Nam, Fiji and the Solomon Islands.
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    Deliverable 1.2: Detailed proposal and activity plan for the establishment of a rehabilitation telehealth service in Fiji.

Output 2: Support countries in building capacity to deliver rehabilitation in primary care. Specifically:

• Work with collaborating centres to generate and analyze quantitative and qualitative data on rehabilitation and assistive technology in primary care; 
• Facilitate community consultations and planning for progressive integration of rehabilitation in primary care; 
• Establish monitoring and evaluation mechanisms for capturing the delivery and impact of rehabilitation and assistive technology in primary care; and 
• Support countries in implementing capacity building tools, including the Training in Assistive Products (TAP) and the Basic Rehabilitation Package (BPR) resources, as requested. 
  • Deliverable 2.1: Activity reports of technical support provided to countries. 
  • Deliverable 2.2: Training reports for implementation of TAP and BRP, including evaluation.

Output 3: Finalize a WHO Technical Note on the integration of rehabilitation in national health accounts. 

• Work with collaborating partners to draft the technical note; 
• Support organization of a technical meeting to review the draft; and 
• Coordinate review and support finalization of the Technical Note, including the publishing process. 
  • Deliverable 3.1 First draft of Technical Note.
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    Deliverable 3.2 Technical meeting to review draft technical note. 

  • Deliverable 3.3 Final draft of Technical Note, including its design and the WHO publication.

Output 4. Support the review of the WHO Rehabilitation Guide for action and undertake drafting of Version 2.  

• Coordinate review process, with initial focus on the assessment and strategic planning phase of the Rehabilitation Guide for Action, compile feedback on product. 
• Draft the updated version of the product. 
• Support organization of a technical meeting to review the updated draft. 
  • Deliverable 4.1 First draft of Version 2 of the WHO Rehabilitation Guide for Action. 
  • Deliverable 4.2. Technical meeting to review updated version.

Qualifications, experience, skills and languages

Educational Qualifications:  

Essential: Advanced university degree in a rehabilitation science, such as rehabilitation medicine, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, prosthetics and orthotics, and/or public health, health policy or similar and advanced degree in public health or a related field

Experience 

Essential: Minimum ten years relevant experience in rehabilitation and assistive technology, health policy, strategic planning, or similar; providing relevant technical support to countries; and related experience in low- and middle-income countries.

Desirable: Experience with WHO is an advantage.

Skills/Knowledge:

Advanced technical knowledge in public health, rehabilitation and assistive technology.

Knowledge of Rehabilitation 2030, Western Pacific Regional Framework for Rehabilitation; GATE-initiative; universal health coverage and related concepts; and knowledge of program management cycle including monitoring and evaluation.

Effective communication skills and cultural sensitivity.

Analytical and writing skills.

Language/s:

Expert knowledge of English.

Location 

Off site: Home-based

Travel

The consultant may be required to travel to the Regional office and/ or selected countries based on the deliverables.

Remuneration and budget:

Band level C – USD 10 000 – USD 11 249 per month.

Expected duration of the contract: 11 months with 60% FTE for WPRO and 40% FTE for WHO HQ

Additional Information:

• 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 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. 
• The WHO is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. The WHO recruits workforce regardless of disability status, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, language, race, marital status, religious, cultural, ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds, or any other personal characteristics.
  The WHO is committed to achieving gender parity and geographical diversity in its workforce. Women, persons with disabilities, and nationals of unrepresented and underrepresented Member States (https://www.who.int/careers/diversity-equity-and-inclusion) are strongly encouraged to apply for WHO jobs.   Persons with disabilities can request reasonable accommodations to enable participation in the recruitment process. Requests for reasonable accommodation should be sent through an email to [email protected]. 
• An impeccable record for integrity and professional ethical standards is essential. 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 (https://www.who.int/about/who-we-are/our-values) 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 short-listed candidates. 
• WHO has a smoke-free environment and does not recruit smokers or users of any form of tobacco. 
• Consultants shall perform the work as independent contractors in a personal capacity, and not as a representative of any entity or authority. 
• WHO shall have no responsibility 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. 
• Please note that WHO’s contracts are conditional on members of the workforce confirming that they are vaccinated as required by WHO before undertaking a WHO assignment, except where a medical condition does not allow such vaccination, as certified by the WHO Staff Health and Wellbeing Services (SHW). The successful candidate will be asked to provide relevant evidence related to this condition. A copy of the updated vaccination card must be shared with WHO medical service in the medical clearance process. Please note that certain countries require proof of specific vaccinations for entry or exit. For example, official proof /certification of yellow fever vaccination is required to enter many countries. Country-specific vaccine recommendations can be found on the WHO international travel and Staff Health and Wellbeing website. For vaccination-related queries please directly contact SHW directly at [email protected].
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