JOB OPPORTUNITY
USAID’s Strengthening Systems for Better Health (SSBH) Activity is a 5-year project aimed at improving health outcomes in Nepal, particularly for the most marginalized and disadvantaged groups in the country. This will be accomplished through supporting the Government of Nepal’s efforts to expand access to and use of quality maternal, newborn and child health and family planning services, with a specific focus on newborn care. Strengthening Systems for Better Health was initiated in January 2018 and will achieve three outcomes:
(i) improving access to and utilization of equitable healthcare services,
(ii) improving the quality of health services at facility and community levels and
(iii) improving health system governance, within the context of decentralization and federalism.
The project is implemented in close collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Population, the Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration, provincial and municipal governments, facility and community level health service providers and other key stakeholders. SSBH is implemented in all 79 municipalities of Karnali Province, and in all municipalities of Banke, Bardiya, Dang, Kapilvastu, Rupandehi and Nawalparasi West districts of Lumbini Province.
The Activity is seeking applications from qualified professionals for the position listed below
Position: Health Systems Officers
Number of Vacancies: 27
Supervisor: Program Coordinator
Location: Selected Municipalities of all 10 districts in Karnali Province
- Dolpa
- Mugu
- Humla
- Jumla
- Kalikot
- Jajarkot
- Rukum West
- Salyan
- Surkhet
- Dailekh
With technical oversight and support from the Province-based Health Systems Strengthening Specialist and Information Systems Specialist, through Senior Program Coordinator, the Health Systems Officer will work closely with designated MNCH/FP officer to support Municipal health officials and health workers to strengthen municipal health systems including; hands on support for annual and periodic health sector planning, budgeting and budget execution, monitoring and periodic review including ensuring data quality (management, analyses), full function of DHIS2 and HMIS reporting, updating and dissemination of municipal health profiles, promote use of data for planning, budgeting, develop municipal health policy, act, guidelines, protocols, supporting to establish accountability mechanism at municipality and health facility along with the capacity strengthening of Health Facility Management Committees HFOMCs. S/he will directly report to the Program Coordinator based in Surkhet.
Specific Duties and Responsibilities
Technical Assistance – Health Systems and Governance
- Provide hands on support to municipality on annual planning (in line with seven-step planning process) and budgeting (by utilizing tools and guidelines prepared by MOFAGA and MOHP) periodic planning, resource allocation, developing annual Calendar of Operation, budget execution, monitoring and evaluation, human resource management and other health systems areas as required
- Provide technical support to prepare/update municipal level health profile, inclusive of stakeholder analyses (working in the Municipality)
- In consultation with HSS technical officer, provide hands on support to the municipalities to prepare municipal health policy, Act, Strategies, Protocols and other guiding documents.
- Work with municipality officials (both elected and staff members) to enhance governance, accountability and citizen engagement with the health service delivery and health management.
- Facilitate municipality to coordinate with Health Service Offices/province authorities to ensure continuous supply of essential medicines, commodities and supplies, receive adequate technical support to address stock out of commodities at municipal/health facility level.
- Provide hands on support to municipal authority to conduct periodic and annual reviews and planning meetings; help to establish a system for annual/periodic review, ensuring GESI issues are adequately addressed and incorporated in plan, promoting best practice in the use of evidence to monitor progress and performance, identify gaps and support to design feasible solutions to address gaps in service coverage and health systems performance.
- Provide technical support to strengthen the effective functioning of Health Facility Operation and Management Committees (HFOMC)
- Provide hands on support to municipality in preparation, implementation and progress tracking of health emergency preparedness and response plan (in close coordination with health emergency response team)
- In collaboration with MNCH/FP Technical officer reinforce the functionality of Quality Assurance mechanisms in municipalities by facilitating discussions of quality-of-care issues with Municipal Social Development Committees and/or health committees.
- Provide technical support for quality improvement initiatives in municipalities and health facilities which includes joint monitoring visits to HFs.
- Facilitate municipality to identify and develop Municipality/District-level clinical mentors for the sustainability of coaching/mentoring at health facilities.
- Advocate municipality to allocate maximum budget in health sector
- Engage with municipal executive committee, health committee and health section staffs to provide hands on support to strengthen municipal health systems
- Advocate and support municipalities to ensure work plan activities and budget are updated in SuTRA software and plan activities are executed in timely manner
Technical Assistance – Generation and Use of Health Data
- Ensure that municipal and facility-level HMIS and LMIS recording and reporting systems are functioning well, municipalities are able to access, analyze and interpret the data, real-time data in support of evidence-based planning and resource allocation.
- Facilitate to develop HMIS and Basic Health Logistics champion in all municipalities and DHIS2 champion in selected municipalities.
- Facilitate, supply and support proper use of facility-based recording and reporting tools. Support to update facility-level information of HMIS tools, encourage municipality and/or health program coordination bodies to ensure timely supply of those tools. Ensure quality of information/data during recording and reporting process.
- Provide hands on support to municipalities and health facilities primarily in low performing health facilities to analyze health data to identify un-reached/underserved populations, barriers, and to prepare micro-plans to improve their utilization and to link with annual planning, budgeting, and monitoring activities
- In coordination with HIS technical officer, support municipalities and health facilities in using DHIS2 and eLMIS platform to report, review and use municipal HMIS and LMIS data respectively.
- Facilitate visualization of facility and municipal level health data (dashboards, infographics) and assist municipal and provincial health sections to ensure that the data is widely available to the public through appropriate communication channels.
Program Management and Coordination
- Actively engage and work with other partners, stakeholders and private sector service providers at municipal level to promote effective collaboration, create synergy and reduce the duplication of work in planning and implementation of the activities.
- Ensure accurate and timely submission of required technical and financial reports and deliverables, including lessons learned, exemplary practices for the health systems strengthening and information system components in assigned geographical area.
- Assist in project planning meetings, training sessions and consultations, collecting additional information from Municipalities, health facilities etc as needed and assigned.
- Make logistical arrangements for project team travelling to their assigned municipalities, as needed.
- Ensure timely and accurate reporting of project intervention in SSBH database and other formats as required.
Qualification requirements include the following:
- Bachelor Degree in Public Health, Health Informatics, Health Management, Epidemiology, Health and Social Sciences or other relevant field.
- Minimum of 2 years of relevant professional experience in health systems and/or monitoring, evaluation, and learning in the public health field
- Understanding of Government of Nepal’s health care delivery system including service availability, utilization, quality aspects in federal context
- Experience working with USAID program and other health-related projects
- Strong interpersonal skills, advocacy, coordination and networking, excellent team leadership and problem-solving abilities
- Good report writing skills in English and Nepali, communication and advocacy skills, including oral presentation
- Computer proficiency (MS Word, MS Excel, Power points and information systems)
- Willing to work in remote municipality of Karnali; those who are from and/or working in the Karnali province will be given preference.
Applying Procedure
Applicants must submit the following documents by e-mail to: hr@ssbhnepal.org by close of business March 30, 2021 with subject line “Application-Health Systems Officers”.
1. An application letter containing the following information:
- Qualifications
- Experience and skills related to this assignment
- Permanent address and current address
- Out of the districts listed above, your top two preferences for posting
2. Updated Curriculum Vitae or Biodata
PLEASE NOTE THAT APPLICANTS FROM KARNALI PROVINCE WILL BE GIVEN FIRST CONSIDERATION FOR THE POSITIONS.
Source: Kantipur Dainik, 20 March, 2021