OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAMME
For the Future: Towards the Healthiest and Safest Region outlines a vision for WHO work with Member States and partners in the Western Pacific. Strong, resilient, sustainable health systems are integral to delivering the four thematic priorities. Up to 60% of people living in some countries in the Region do not have access to safe, quality and affordable health services and medicines. One in five families spend 10% of their income on health care. This threatens individuals, families, communities and economies. The Division of Health Systems and Services (DHS) will contribute to taking forward the For the Future vision and its four thematic priorities. DHS will support Member States with high quality advice and assistance on health financing, health workforce, medical products, quality and safety, law and governance, women and children, rehabilitation, surgery and health services including primary health care so that they can build resilient, responsive and sustainable health systems.
Unit Mandates:
In this role the incumbent will work across the different areas of health systems and together with the following units at Regional Office level:
Health Policy and Service Design (HPS) - HPS supports Member States to develop and implement policies, strategies and plans and service delivery design, including primary health care, to strengthen governance, financing, health workforce in order to ensure access to needed promotive, preventative, curative, rehabilitative and palliative services without financial hardship.
Essential Medicines and Health Technologies (EMT) - EMT supports Member States to strengthen pharmaceutical systems and regulations, including for traditional medicines to ensure equitable access to quality-assured, safe and effective therapies and health technologies and works along with other programmes to accelerate the fight against antimicrobial resistance in the Western Pacific Region.
Maternal Child Health and Quality Safety (MCQ) - MCQ supports Member States to improve health systems to provide the best and safest possible health facility services to all people, regardless of race, beliefs, gender, economic and social condition and to ensure universal health coverage serves all people, starting from women and children.
Health Law and Ethics (HLE) - HLE supports Member States to understand, develop and implement quality and ethical legal frameworks for health. Grounded in human rights and international good practice standards, legal frameworks for health guide transformative policies and innovative programming.
DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES
Under the guidance and supervision of the Director, Health Systems and Services, the general guidance of the Director of Programme Management and in close collaboration with the Western Pacific Regional Office technical division directors, the incumbent will have the following responsibilities:
1. Guide the strategic development, including the setting of targets, for implementation and evaluation of reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health programmes in the Region in line with the For the Future vision and towards the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals;
2. Guide the strategic development, including setting of targets, for implementation and evaluation of programmes to improve health care quality including infection prevention and control, patient safety and safe and affordable surgery;
3. Lead the regional implementation of the Action Framework for Safe and Affordable Surgery in the Western Pacific Region (2021-2030) including provision of policy support and technical advice to Member States;
4. Provide technical advice to the Regional Director and national counterparts in developing policies, norms and standards for reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health, health care quality, infection prevention and control, patient safety and safe and affordable surgery;
5. Support the implementation of the WHO/UNICEF Regional Child Survival Strategy and other strategies relevant to child and adolescent health and provide advice and technical support to WHO country offices and Member States in prioritizing, strengthening and taking to scale cost-effective and evidence-based interventions;
6. Promote and support the use of indicators and methodologies to monitor and evaluate the health status of children and adolescents, and programmes/interventions designed to improve child and adolescent health in the Region;
7. Manage and coordinate the maternal, child and adolescent health, health care quality (including infection prevention and control), patient safety and safe and affordable surgery areas of work, including the formulation of programme proposals, implementation and monitoring of delivery programmes and participation in the evaluation of programme outcomes;
8. Collaborate with partner organizations to drive forward and deliver results in the designated technical areas;
9. Undertake other duties, as assigned.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
Education
Essential: Postgraduate degree in public health, health services management or in other related field.
Desirable: Medical degree or qualifications on clinical management, health care quality, patient safety, surgery or maternal and child health.
Experience
Essential: At least ten years of national and/or international professional experience in planning, management and implementation of public health programmes, including at least one of the following: health care quality, patient safety, infection prevention and control, clinical management, surgery programmes, or maternal, child and adolescent health programmes.
Desirable: International experience working with a broad range of partners.
Skills
WHO Competencies
Use of Language Skills
Essential: Written and spoken fluency in English
Desirable: Working knowledge of other UN languages.
