JOB DESCRIPTION

Purpose of the Consultancy

The consultant will provide technical and coordination support to the Ministry of Health (MoH), Royal Government of Cambodia, in process to develop National Nursing and Midwifery Policy (NNMP) for Cambodia.

The consultant will work with the Ministry of Health, Departments of Hospital Services, the World Health Organization (WHO), and with other key relevant stakeholders to understand the facilitators and barriers to use and implementation of existing health workforce policies, health workers’ scope of practice, task shifting, standard staffing requirement, and the needs to tailor to primary health care (PHC) purpose. While support developing the policy, consider the resources required, costs and budget constraint to ensure realistic delivery of the activities and interventions.

In the development of NNMP, priority will be placed on advancing nursing and midwifery education, career pathways, health service delivery, and leadership roles to accelerate the country’s progress towards Universal Health Coverage (UHC). This also considers the major current and future health challenges including key non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory disease, diabetes, and cancer as well as mental health conditions with PHC as the foundation.

Background

UHC means that all people have access to the quality health services they need, without facing financial hardship. It covers the full continuum of essential health services, from health promotion to prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, and palliative care across the life course. Quality of service provision is therefore core to UHC. Nurse and midwife are the heartbeat of healthcare system. The experience of nursing care is shaped by compassion, clinical skill, and a solid commitment to patient well-being. Yet behind the dedication lies a landscape riddled with challenges: understaffing, overwhelming patient loads, burnout, and limited resources. These issues do not just affect nurses and midwives, they ripple across the entire healthcare system, compromising the quality and safety of patient care.

In Cambodia, the “National Policies of Nursing,” established in 2005, have guided efforts to improve the quality of nursing and strengthen the health service delivery system. Since then, as the health system has developed, the roles of nurses have also expanded and diversified. In light of these changes, there is a growing need to update the existing policy framework to better reflect current realities.

In recent years, emerging health challenges such as the rising burden of NCDs, population ageing, urbanization, and climate change have underscored the urgent need to strengthen and secure a competent health workforce, especially at the primary care level. In this context, the development and effective deployment of community-based nurses have become increasingly critical for addressing these evolving needs.

The “Regional Framework to Shape a Health Workforce for the Future of the Western Pacific,” adopted in 2023, highlights the pivotal role of national nursing strategies in achieving universal health coverage (UHC). The framework identifies priority actions including alignment with PHC-oriented systems, quality-assured education, optimization of scopes of practice, and development of continuing education and leadership capacity.

In addition, the State of the World’s Nursing 2025 (SOWN 2025) has further highlighted critical global gaps in the nursing workforce, emphasizing the need for strengthened national strategies.

In parallel, WHO formulated the “Global Strategic Directions for Nursing and Midwifery (SDNM) 2021–2025,” which emphasizes the strengthening of nursing and midwifery through four key pillars: education, jobs, leadership, and service delivery. Initially set to conclude in 2025, the SDNM has now been extended to 2030 following a decision at the Seventy-eighth World Health Assembly (WHA78), reaffirming its relevance as a guiding framework for national nursing policies.

In light of these global and regional developments, Cambodia is now at a critical juncture to review and renew its national nursing strategy to ensure nurses can fully contribute to the country’s evolving health needs.

Deliverables

Under the supervision of the Health System Coordinator, WHO Country Office of Cambodia, and the Department of Hospital Service (DHS), MoH, the consultant will undertake the following tasks:

• Support facilitation and coordination during the process of development of NNMP under guidance from MoH, DHS, and WHO.
• Engage in consultative meetings and workshops as per request by DHS and the Working Groups.
• Conduct a review of existing nursing policy documents, regulatory frameworks, and scope of practice of health workers.
• Conduct rapid assessment on gaps of current nursing and midwifery situation as inputs for NNMP development if needed.
• Identify key areas for improvement in the current nursing policy and confirm alignment needs with the SOWN 2025, the SDNM, the Regional Framework, and Cambodia’s PHC-oriented health system priorities.
• Ensure alignment and coherence of the revised nursing strategy with the ongoing Human Resources for Health (HRH) strategy and the Health Labour Market Analysis (HLMA), incorporating relevant findings and directions from these processes.
• Draft the outline and full draft of the NNMP Assist WHO Health Systems Team in English-Khmer translations both oral and written, reporting and concept note writing, and other coordinating and facilitating supports where needed by individual team member.

Output 1: Draft Outline of the Revised National Nursing Strategy
Deliverable 1.1: Situational analysis and mapping of current nursing workforce policies and needs.
Deliverable 1.2: Initial draft outline shared with stakeholders for feedback.

Output 2: Stakeholder Consultations and Technical Inputs
Deliverable 2.1: Facilitate stakeholder consultations, including workshops at MoH.
Deliverable 2.2: Incorporate feedback from Cambodian Council of Nurses, educational institutions, and key partners.

Output 3: Final Draft of the Revised Nursing Strategy
Deliverable 3.1: Finalize the strategy, aligned with SDNM 2021–2030 and the Regional Framework.
Deliverable 3.2: Prepare actionable recommendations for the next step.
Deliverable 3.3 Perform other relevant duties as assigned by WHO Health System Coordinator and Technical Officers.

Qualifications, experience, skills and languages

Educational Qualifications:

Essential: Bachelor’s degree in nursing, health policy, or public health.
Desirable: Advanced degree in health workforce development, health systems, or a related field.

Experience

Essential: Minimum 5 years working experience in health system strengthening, and health workforce development.
Desirable: Proven experience in policy development and conducting stakeholder consultations. Experiences in development of health workforce policy and planning is an advantage.

Skills / Technical skills and knowledge:

• Strong understanding of nursing education, service delivery, and workforce governance in Cambodia.
• Ability to review and analyze data relevant to health workforce planning and nursing workforce development.
• Ability to review and interpret policy documents, guidelines, and strategic frameworks. Strong drafting and technical writing skills for policy and strategic documents.
• Excellent coordination, facilitation, and communication skills to engage diverse stakeholders.
• Highly developed computer skills including use of Microsoft Office suite of programs and tools (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook).

Language requirement:

Good oral and written English language skill.

Location

On-site: WHO Cambodia Country Office and Ministry of Health

Travel

The consultant is expected to be able to travel within Cambodia to conduct field visits to provinces, as necessary.

Remuneration and budget

Remuneration: USD 2,900 – USD 3,300 (monthly)
Duration: 3 months, September to December 2025

Additional information

• This vacancy notice may be used to identify candidates for other similar consultancies at the same level.
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Level of Education: Bachelor Degree

Work Hours: 8

Experience in Months: No requirements