Solomon Islands malaria program midterm review

Purpose of the APW

To undertake a Midterm Programme and Global Fund SLB-M-MHMS 21-23 grant implementation review to assist the Solomon Islands and its partners to understand and timely assess progress in implementing the Solomon Islands Strategic Plan for Malaria Control and Elimination 2021-2025 and to refocus and refine the strategy and implementation plan to achieve the desired set goals. 

Background

The Government of Solomon Islands,National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP) together with Ministry of Health and Medical Services (MHMS) introduced the Solomon Islands Malaria Roadmap of Malaria Elimination in 2018, raising malaria elimination high on the Government’s agenda. Moreover, the NVBDCP has played a key role in the reorganization of the MHMS since 2015, aiming to finalize the change from a vertical programme to one that is fully integrated into the health system. The Global Fund (under Cash on Delivery Model) has provided funding through the SLB-M-MHMS 2021-2023 grant for NVBDCP to implement the first three years of the National Malaria Strategic Plan 2021-2025 to accelerate malaria elimination through the distribution of long-lasting insecticide-treated bed nets, indoor residual spraying, quality case management and strengthened surveillance and community mobilization.

In order to prepare for the 2024-26 Global Fund funding cycle, the Country Coordinating Mechanism (CCM) of the Solomon Islands will need to develop and submit a funding request in Q1 2023. The next GF grant for the 2024-2026 period would support the remaining two years of the current Malaria Strategic Plan (2024-25) and the first year of the next 2026-2030 NSP, which is yet to be developed, planned, or costed. The Mid-Term review therefore will help to assist the NVBDCP refocus and refine the current strategies to catch up in NSP targets in the short to medium term and to guide the development of the next NSP 2026-2030 as well as the NFM4 Global Fund funding request .

WHO and the Global Fund are committed to supporting MHMS and their request to strengthen NVBDCP-led malaria prevention and control activities and to support accelerated efforts to eliminate malaria. Due to the effort required to conduct a mid-term review, it is proposed to recruit a consulting firm (with reknown expertise in malaria epidemiology and program implementation) that can serve as a team lead and two support consultants to facilitate the review process and assure the quality of assessments, recommendations, and report the outcomes. As part of the review, field travel will be required to Provinces and a team will assist to cover more areas in the same amount of time.

Planned timelines (subject to confirmation)

• • Start date:  1 October 2022                                                            
• • End date: 31 December 2022
• • Total duration: 3 months

Requirements - Work to be performed

• • Working closely with NVBCP and WHO Country Office in the Solomon Islands, conduct a desk review of all available and relevant documents, reports, reviews and scientific publications to track progress, identify issues and develop a working document of the programme to be organized by programme thematic areas: programme financing and management, vector control, case management, surveillance, monitoring and evaluation, community mobilization and elimination.
• • Prepare agenda, timeline and proposed site visits based on epi analysis from desk review. In coordination with WHO and NVBDCP - to be approved by NVBDCP. Prepare tentative agenda for the workshop to be held post-field visits.
• • Lead coordination and implementation of site field visits to verify the desktop review and assess current progress towards NSP and GFATM grant 2021-23 in at least 3 - 4 Provinces (representing different malaria endemicities and burdens in the country).
• • Consolidate findings from field visits and develop recommendations for each major thematic area including programme financing management, vector control, case management, surveillance, monitoring and evaluation, community mobilization and elimination.
• • Coordinate and lead national workshop to discuss, refine findings and recommendations with NVBDCP, WHO, other parthers. Provide summary report of field visits and workshop.
• • Revised NMSP with full set of agreed recommendations to serve as a final report. Circulate to all partners for feedback, integrate as best as possible comments and finalize.

The review will cover the National Malaria Program and the Global Fund SLB-M-MHMS 2021-2023 Grant implementation, according to the National Malaria Strategic Plan 2021-2025 (NMSP) and answer key questions including;

• • Are the current outcome targets designed to meet the goals of the NMSP?
• • Are current funding streams sufficient and optimised to sustain the program until the end of the current funding cycle to meet current goals?
• • Should strategic priorities be reset to achieve NMSP goals?
• • Is the organisational, financial, management, and human resoursing structure at National and Provinicial level suitable to deliver the program?
• • Are current program services designed to provide universal access with patient centred care for case management and prevention?
• • Is malaria surveillance designed to guide the delivery of services and target interventions to the right people, at the right place, at the right time for optimal impact?

A Preliminary Report of the review, its finding and recommendations will be presented to the MHMS, Government of Solomon Islands, and agreed partners by the Review Team prior to departure from Solomon Islands. A Final Report will be submitted to MHMS within one month of completion of the field work and in-country visit. The Final Report will be used to help refocus and refine the current support, strategy and work plan.  It will also guide the development of future funding applications and partner support for the continuation of the program.  

Requirements - Planning

Output 1: Desktop review

Deliverable 1.1: Final desktop review

Deliverable(s) to be submitted by 20 October, 25% payment upon submission.

Output 2: Programme review agenda, timeline and proposed site visits (tentative based on desk review epi analysis) and tentative agenda for post-site visit workshop

Deliverable 2.1: Agenda with timeline, schedule of field visits and tentative agenda for worksop

Deliverable(s) to be submitted by 15 Oct, no payment after output 2.

Output 3: Compiled site-visit summary report and presenations for post site visit workshop

Deliverable 3.1: Presentations for workshop by thematic area with draft recommendations to review during workshop 

Deliverable(s) to be submitted by 15 Nov, no payment after output 2.

Output 4: Final summary report post workshop

Deliverable 4.1: Summary report from site visits and workshop

Deliverable(s) to be submitted by 01 December: 25% payment

Output 5: Final revised NSP document  with integrated set of recommendations

Deliverable 5.1: Final revised NSP

Deliverable(s) to be submitted before 31 Dec: 50% payment.

Inputs

The Technical / Medical Officer indicate the contribution that the beneficiary will make to produce the Outputs.

Characteristics of the Provider

Qualifications required:      

• Masters level or above in public health, infectious disease control, epidemiology or other relevant areas

Experience required:

• • Malaria policy and strategy development at international level, at least 10 years of experience
• • 5 years of experience in working on malaria control and elimination programs in Asia Pacific Region
• • Experience in undertaking programatic and Global Fund reveiws, proven experince in one full grant cycle funding request development and national programme review in WPR
• • More than five years of experience and expertise in malaria program monitoring and evaluation and strategic plan development

Competencies:

• • Communicating in a credible and effective way in cross cultural settings
• • Producing and communicating results
• • Knowing and managing yourself
• • Moving forward in a changing environment
• • Fostering integration and teamwork

Functional Skills and Knowledge:

• • Knowledge of the specific or technical areas of malaria monitoring and surveillance, evaluation, prevention, case management, program management, elimination strategies and WHO GUIDELINES for malaria (3 June 2022);
• • Knowledge of adapting evidence based guidelines to country context;
• • Ability to conduct literature review, critical evaluation of research results, assessment of fitness of research results to local contexts;
• • Ability to facilitate intensive activities in a short time period and achieve the expected outcomes

Language:

• • Expert level of English is essential (Read-Write-Speak)

Other Skills:

• • Excellent/demonstrated writing skills in academic settings
• • Proficient in standard MS Office software applications.  Presentation skills.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Place of assignment

• • The consultant is required to conduct desk and virtual interviews and meetings remotely and to undertake interviews, discussions, verification and presentation of findings and recommendations in the Solomon Islands.
• • The selected consultant will be expected to provide a medical certificate of fitness for work in a developing country context which may require travel to provincial areas with limited medical support.
• • The consultant is expected to travel internationally to Solomon Islands for 2-3 weeks to conduct provincial site visits, hold workshop and present final findings.

SUBMISSIONS

Qualified and interested specialists should submit the following documents to the Supply Officer through WP RO UNGM at < wproungm@who.int > by 21 September 2022

• • Company Profile {for institutional applications} 
• • Technical proposal indicating solution, methodology and timelines, in addition to the below annexes: 
  • o   Annex 2: Confidentiality Undertaking
  • o   Annex 3: Vendor Information Form
• • Financial proposal

Please use Tender Notice No. WPRO/2022-09/SLB/181963 as subject to all submission. Only successful candidates will be contacted.