National Consultant for Conducting Health Service Availability and Readiness Assessment around Border Entry Points

The National Consultant will support the Governments of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan in assessing health service availability and readiness in border areas to address communicable disease prevention, detection, referral, and response for migrants and mobile populations. The role involves conducting field assessments, data collection, analysis, and developing SOPs for cross-border health coordination.

Responsibilities

• Review and support the contextualization of the assessment methodology, tools and data collection instruments developed by the International Consultant, including health facility and PoE assessment questionnaires, observation checklists, key informant interview guides, referral pathway mapping tools, and other relevant instruments.
• Conduct mapping of existing cross-border data sharing systems, policies, and/or agreements on providing health services and/or diagnostics to cross-border migrant workers and mobile populations.
• Conduct a desk review of relevant legislation, policies, protocols, bilateral agreements, surveillance systems, and existing SOPs related to border health and cross-border disease control.
• Consolidate a list of priority infectious and endemic diseases of cross-border relevance to guide protocols on risk assessment and information sharing.
• Support planning and organization of field activities, including coordination with health facilities, Points of Entry, authorities and stakeholders.
• Conduct field assessment using agreed methodology and tools, including KoboToolbox, and conduct interviews and consultations with relevant stakeholders.
• Clean, organize and validate quantitative and qualitative data collected through the assessment and provide validated data to the International Consultant.
• Prepare a field assessment report summarizing activities, observations, findings, challenges and country-specific issues.
• Develop an operational roadmap on improving health service availability and readiness for vulnerable groups, migrants and mobile populations in border communities with multisectoral recommendations.
• Develop SOPs covering cross-border disease notification and reporting, information and data exchange mechanisms, case management and referral procedures, disease surveillance and outbreak response, infection prevention and control measures, roles and responsibilities, confidentiality and data protection, and communication during public health emergencies.
• Facilitate stakeholder consultations and validation workshops on draft SOPs and facilitate tabletop and/or simulation exercises.

Requirements

• University degree in Health Sciences, Social Sciences, including public health, epidemiology and other relevant disciplines.
• Minimum 5 years of relevant professional experience in public health research, preferably on epidemiology, communicable diseases, IHR and border health.
• Demonstrated experience in conducting or supporting health service availability and/or readiness assessments, health facility assessments, or similar public health assessments.
• Demonstrated experience in communicable disease prevention and control, International Health Regulations (IHR 2005), public health emergency preparedness, infection prevention and control (IPC), and/or border health is an asset.
• Knowledge of and experience with relevant WHO health facility assessment tools and methodologies, including tools for assessing health service availability and readiness.
• Experience in adapting and applying assessment methodologies, questionnaires and other data collection tools, and in collecting and analysing quantitative and qualitative health data.
• Experience in data collection and management using KoboToolbox or similar digital data collection platforms is an asset.
• Good analytical and report-writing skills, with experience in contributing to health-related assessment and analytical reports.
• Demonstrated experience working with international organizations, government institutions, and other relevant stakeholders.
• Demonstrated experience working in cross-border, migration or mobility-related health contexts, including with migrant and mobile populations, is an asset.
• Proficiency in quantitative and qualitative research methods, data collection, data management, and analysis.
• Ability to engage and coordinate effectively with a diverse range of stakeholders, including public health authorities, border authorities, health service providers, international organizations, and migrant and mobile populations.
• Strong analytical, report-writing, communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills.
• Fluency in written and spoken English, Uzbek/Tajik is required. Russian is an asset.

Skills

• Public Health Research
• Epidemiology
• Communicable Disease Control
• International Health Regulations
• Health Service Availability Assessment
• Health Facility Assessment
• Health Emergency Preparedness
• Infection Prevention and Control
• Border Health Operations
• WHO Health Facility Assessment Tools
• Assessment Methodology Adaptation
• Quantitative Data Collection
• Qualitative Data Collection
• Data Analysis
• KoboToolbox
• Report Writing
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Cross-border Health Coordination
• Health Data Management

Languages

English, Uzbek, Tajik, Russian