National consultant to support the assessment of the transition process to centralized GoTHOMIS (electronic Medical Records for PHC) in Kigoma and Mbeya Regions, (Home based)

The UNICEF Tanzania Country Office is seeking to engage a consultant to provide high-quality technical and scientific expertise in conducting the assessment of the transition process from old to new centralized GoTHOMIS in Kigoma and Mbeya Regions, and to identify key areas for consideration in developing implementation strategies for national roll out.

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential. 

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone. 

And we never give up. 

For every child, hope 

Digital technologies play a pivotal role in ensuring the timely availability and quality of information for the improvement of healthcare services. In Tanzania, there is a growing emphasis on digital transformation, leading to increased accessibility of high-quality data. The country is committed to building robust health data systems and fostering data utilization, but substantial investments are needed to fully realize this vision.

The Digital Health Strategy in Tanzania, launched in 2019, is a comprehensive initiative aimed at harnessing digital technologies to enhance healthcare delivery, accessibility, and quality across the nation. The strategy’s objectives include strengthening health information systems, promoting data-driven decision-making, and fostering innovation in the health sector. It delineates five strategic areas: 1) Strengthened digital health governance and leadership, 2) Improved client experience through efficient provision of high-quality health services, 3) Empowered healthcare providers and managers to take evidence-based actions, 4) Sustained availability of health resources, and 5) Standardized information exchange. Additionally, the strategy outlines ten key priorities, such as enhancing digital health governance, improving health service delivery through digitalization, boosting workforce competency, promoting healthy behavior, facilitating secure information exchange, and enhancing data use for evidence-based actions.

UNICEF, as a crucial partner to the Government of Tanzania, actively supports the implementation of the National Digital Health Strategy 2019-2024. Collaborating closely with the Ministry of Health and the President’s Office Regional Administration and Local Government, UNICEF has contributed to various digitalization initiatives, including the Tanzania Immunization Registry (TIMR), the Mama na Mwana digital client feedback platform, the DHIS-2 bottleneck analysis app, and the improvement of electronic medical records through the Tanzanian Government Health Operation Management Information System (GOTHOMIS).

GOTHOMIS was conceived as an EMR for PHC services in 2012 and has since undergone continuous improvements, culminating in the deployment of a centralized version and mobile app, tailored for low resource settings, in July 2023. Centralized GOTHOMIS has been a revolutionary force in digitalizing patient data. It serves as a unifying platform that consolidates medical records, administrative functions, and operational data across multiple healthcare facilities. This centralization streamlines information flow, ensuring uniformity, accuracy, and accessibility of patient records and healthcare data. This centralized approach enhances collaboration and coordination among healthcare providers, facilitating a seamless exchange of critical information. It promotes efficient resource allocation, as administrators gain real-time insights into facility-level operations, enabling strategic decision-making. Moreover, a centralized GoTHOMIS contributes to improved patient care by providing a comprehensive view of medical histories and diagnoses thus fostering continuity of care and informed decision-making across the healthcare continuum. The system also helps to streamline healthcare processes as the health worker only needs to interact with one system, while ensuring the utmost data privacy and security.

How can you make a difference? 

The current improvement and roll out of GoTHOMIS to Centralized version brings a high time to review and document the successes, challenges, and lessons learned during the transition of old to new Centralized GoTHOMIS in Kigoma and Mbeya regions. The findings generated will be used by other stakeholders to inform implementation strategies for the planned rollout of the system in other regions, as well as optimize the GoTHOMIS system’s effectiveness as part of the digitalization of health services.

This consultancy will contribute to answer the following questions:

1. What actions need to be prioritized for a smooth migration from Old GoTHOMIS version to Centralized one?

2. What resources are needed to fully migrate from old version to New Centralized GoTHOMIS?

3. How can Centralized GoTHOMIS be leveraged to improve the quality of PHC services?

The consultant will provide high-quality technical and scientific expertise in conducting the assessment of the transition process from old to new centralized GoTHOMIS in Kigoma and Mbeya Regions, and to identify key areas for consideration in developing implementation strategies for national roll out. This will include:

a. Develop a framework for the assessment, drawing on implementation science and frameworks for implementation of digital health initiatives.

b. Document the steps taken to enable the transition of GoTHOMIS, including the planning, execution, and outcomes of the transition, encompassing timelines, stakeholder engagement, communication strategies, and resource allocation.

c. Conduct stakeholder consultations based on the identified steps taken: Engage in consultations with key stakeholders, including healthcare workers and managers, to gather varied perspectives on the impact of the transition.

d. Analyze and consolidate findings: Utilizing the framework selected, identify and document pivotal lessons, challenges, and successes experienced throughout the transition, illustrating specific examples and case studies.

e. Develop actionable recommendations for national roll out: Identify practical recommendations for future GoTHOMIS roll out and enhancements, addressing identified challenges and capitalizing on success stories.

WORK ASSIGNMENT, DELIVERABLES, DELIVERY DEADLINE AND PAYMENT  

 PAYMENT SCHEDULE. 
UNICEF reserves the right to withhold all or portion of payment if performance is unsatisfactory, if work/output is incomplete, not delivered or for failure to meet deadlines.

ASSESSMENT / SELECTION PROCESS AND METHODS.
Evaluations: The applicant should submit both technical and financial proposals which clearly stipulate how the work will be conducted. The Financial Proposal should include all costs of this assignment including fee, travel costs, accommodation as UNICEF will not pay any DSA. 

• Proposals will be both technically and financially evaluated. The technical part will carry a weight of 75%, in which the consultant will put clear his/her technical approach to ensure quality attainment of each deliverable and the consultancy in totality. The financial part will take 25% showing the proposed budget breakdown of consultancy cost for each deliverable (fees, travel and accommodation) and eventual total consultancy cost.  Minimum points required in technical evaluation to be qualified for financial evaluation: 50 points (out of 75 points)

LOCATION, DURATION & LOGISTIC.
The consultant will be required to travel to Kigoma, Mbeya, and other regions in Tanzania mainland as appropriate.

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have… 

• A minimum of eight years’ experience in conducting and managing policies and strategies review for Health systems and services, including experience in digital-related activities.
• Advanced degree in a relevant field, including Information Systems, Public Health, Health Policy, Health Systems, Primary Health Care, Quality of Care, Implementation Research
• Familiarity with the Tanzanian healthcare system and digital health landscape.
• Experience in engaging with initiatives and networks on digital health-related activities and working with national and subnational levels.
• Experience in analyzing healthcare policies and strategies would enable the person to assess the alignment of the digital health strategy and digital interventions with broader health sector goals and objectives in Tanzania.
• Experience in stakeholder engagement and communication at both national and sub-national levels.
• Experience in qualitative and quantitative data collection, analysis and report writing.
• Excellent interpersonal and facilitation skills to engage with high-level policymakers in Tanzania.
• Proven project management skills towards ensuring timely production of high-quality deliverables.
• Documented excellent written communication skills, including the ability to tailor messages depending on the intended audience.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with international and national staff at all levels.
• Fluency in written and spoken English is required.
• Proficiency in Swahili is an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate… 

UNICEF’s values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS).   

To view our competency framework, please visit  here.   

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment. 

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check. 

Remarks:  

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. 

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws. 

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.