Consultant –Syria Health Systems Needs Assessment

Job Description

Position: Consultant –Syria Health Systems Needs Assessment

Location: Remote

Reports to: RI Hub Team Leader

About RI: Relief International (RI) specializes in relief and development programs that benefit people in acute distress. A registered non-profit in the US, UK, France and Belgium, our work targets those fragile countries or communities that suffer from recurrent man-made or natural crises that impede human development. The people that we serve live in seventeen countries across the Middle East, Africa, and Asia where the debilitating effects of political instability, forced displacement, and natural disasters are pervasive. RI has a robust humanitarian response in Syria with a large health portfolio, providing life-saving services to vulnerable populations.

Position Summary and Background:

The consultant will prepare an up to date needs assessment on health systems in Syria, focusing on specific governorates. The assessment will be used in the design of stabilization interventions that will complement ongoing humanitarian efforts with a view to building a stronger foundation for recovery of health systems.

9% of recorded public health centers in Syria are fully functioning. According to the Health Resources and Services Availability Mapping (HeRAMs), at the end of 2019 in Syria the emergency threshold of at least ten beds per 10,000 people and only one district had sufficient doctors, nurses and midwives to meet emergency thresholds of at least 22 health care workers per 10,000 people.

Anticipated Consultant Tasks:

· Inception meetings with RI staff (in person and/or virtually as required)

· Literature review – some documents to be provided by RI (relevant reports), others at the consultant’s discretion

· Key informant interviews with relevant actors in the targeted governorates: the Civil Council members, Health Committee members, representatives of the central Ministry of Health, Health Working Group representatives for northeast Syria, and Syria NGO forum members.

· Drafting of assessment report, as detailed below.

· Participation in a debrief session to flesh out recommendations for proposal purposes.

· Submission of final report

Consultant Deliverables:

• A final report, oriented around the WHO’s six pillars of health systems (service delivery, health workforce, health information systems, medicines and medical products, financing, and leadership and governance).
• The final report will provide details the health system in specific area of Syria and will outline opportunities for health systems rehabilitation.
• This document should be structured according to the following components:
1. Description of the health system including:
• What health facilities and services are available, who implements services
• How is the health system managed and coordinated?
• What strategies are available and utilized
2. Profile of the health services delivery
• Access to health services
• Coverage of health services and utilization
• Consumer knowledge and behavior
• Quality of health services
3. Profile on human resources for health
• Existence of human resources for health plans and policies
• Information on the health labor market
• Education of human resources for heath
4. Profile on supply chain, medical products, vaccines and technologies
• Laws, regulations, policies
• Financing
• Quantification and procurement systems
• Storage, distribution and access
• Monitoring and Logistics management information systems
5. Profile on Health information systems
• Governance and management of HiS
• Data quality and information use
6. Profile on Health financing
• Sources of financing
• Risk pooling and social protection
• Budgeting and resource allocation
7. Profile on Health governance
• Overall governance
• Community voice
• Transparency
• Accountability and oversight
• Leadership and management of service delivery
8. Special Considerations by Population Group
• Access to services for minorities, women, people with disabilities, etc.
• Ethnic tensions within the health system (impact of Arab-Kurd relations on health system functioning and improvement)
• For selected governorates, the need to submit primary unit of systems analysis, but data should still facilitate programming decisions at the field level.
• The document should also include collated recommendations based on the stabilization/rehabilitation priorities identified through primary and secondary sources, in addition to the consultants own expert opinion.

Qualifications & requirements:

This position demands a dynamic individual (or firm) with a demonstrated ability to achieve results under challenging conditions, including while working remotely.

• Master’s degree in Public Health or Bachelor’s degree with commensurate work experience;
• English and Arabic speaking skills a must
• Experience in conducting remote assessments

· Excellent written, verbal and interpersonal communication skills; ability to present detailed information in a clear and useful manner is essential;

· Experience conducting similar health systems needs assessments required; experience in Syria preferred;

· Excellent analytical and organizational skills. Ability to think critically and creatively;

Candidates from the Middle East Region are strongly encouraged to apply.

• A summarized CV
• Technical proposal of conducting the consultancy indicating the methodology. It is anticipated that this assignment will be undertaken for a maximum of 15days
• Proposed budget (consultancy rate per day)
• Example of assessment reports produced in English before, in which consultant is sole or lead author

Relief International’s Values:

We uphold the Humanitarian Principles: humanity, neutrality, impartiality and operational independence. We affirmatively engage the most vulnerable communities. We value:

· Inclusiveness

· Transparency and accountability

· Agility and innovation

· Collaboration

· Sustainability

About the Organization

Founded in 1990, Relief International provides emergency, rehabilitation and development services that empower beneficiaries in the process. RI's programs include health, shelter construction, education, community development, agriculture, food, income-generation, and conflict resolution. RI employs an innovative approach to program design and a high quality of implementation performance in demonstrating deep and lasting impact in reducing human suffering worldwide.