Individual Consultancy - Health Systems Strengthening for Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam

BACKGROUND

It is widely recognized that Malaysia attained universal health coverage (UHC) in the 1980s through supply-side investments prioritizing health infrastructure in rural areas and maternal and child health services. The coverage of essential health services was scored at 79, whereas the incidence of catastrophic out-of-pocket spending was 1.52% (greater than 10% of total household expenditure) in 2019. However, the country’s health system is constrained to accommodate the increasing demand for health services due to demographic and epidemiological transitions. The National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) 2019 revealed that the prevalence of raised blood glucose and raised blood pleasure were 18.3% and 30.0%, respectively, whereas the prevalence of “known” diabetes and hypertension were 9.4% and 15.9%, respectively. The population aged 65 years or older in Malaysia is expected to reach 14.5% in 2040 from 7.2% in 2020. Similarly, Brunei Darussalam is experiencing such transitions and is committed to investing more in health.

To address these challenges, countries need to strengthen all building blocks of health systems and re-orient the model of care towards primary health care (PHC), which will result in scaling up screening and management of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) as well as providing person-centred integrated care for older persons and people with socially complex needs. For instance, the Ministry of Health (MOH) Malaysia is currently undertaking efforts to draft the Health White Paper, guiding the strategic direction of the health systems and public health reform for the next 15 years. Brunei Darussalam is also seeking to enhance the production of health accounts to better inform policymaking. In this context, WHO Country Office in Malaysia is expected to enhance its workforce to support Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam, which health systems are in transition. This aligns with one of the seven operational shifts specified in the Regional Director’s white paper “For The Future” in the Western Pacific.

PURPOSE/SPECIFIC OBJECTIVE OF THE ACTIVITY

The purpose of this consultancy is to support the WHO Country Office in Malaysia, supervised by the relevant divisions/units of the WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific (WPRO), to strengthen health systems towards universal health coverage in Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam.

DESCRIPTION OF ACTIVITIES TO BE CARRIED OUT

Under the overall guidance of the WHO Representative and technical lead, the consultant is expected to work with relevant unit(s)/section(s) of MOH and other stakeholders to support the WHO Country Office in Malaysia in strengthening health systems to progress towards and sustain UHC in Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam.

METHODS TO CARRY OUT THE ACTIVITY

1. Daily communication and engagements by emails, conference calls, face-to-face meetings, etc.
2. Coordinate stakeholders within/outside of the Organization and facilitate discussions across them.
3. Monitor the progress of activities/projects and support the timely implementation.
4. Documentation such as drafting notes for the record, progress reports, donor reports, terms of references, etc. 
5. Contribute to resource acquisition by closely working with a programme management officer and admin staff.
6. Literature search, data gathering and analysis, and drafting technical/policy briefs, presentations and talking points.
7. Provide technical support t Ministries of Health under the supervision of the WHO Representative and technical leads in the Country Office and Regional Office for the Western Pacific (WPRO).  

Outputs:

Health systems strengthening

• • Analyse countries’ health systems architecture in accordance with the WHO health systems framework and identify bottlenecks and opportunities for WHO to provide support
• • Where appropriate, contribute to strategic discussions with MOH for navigating health systems transformation pathways
• • Advocate MOH counterparts to reorient the healthcare delivery model from hospital-based to PHC and adapt the PHC model to demographic and epidemiological transitions
• • Coordinate with internal/external NCD and healthy ageing counterparts to streamline WHO’s technical support to enhance multi-disciplinary NCD management and integrated person-centred care for older persons
• • Proactively formulate activities/projects aiming to strengthen one or more building blocks of health systems, which may include but are not exclusive to
  • Developing health facilities and workforce master plan
  • Institutionalizing national health accounts
  • Geographic information system for health planning
• • Participate in and contribute to discussions and workshops convened by relevant division(s)/unit(s) in WPRO
• • Support Country Office’s focal point to monitor regular updates of the UHC service coverage index, financial protection indicators and Global Health Expenditure Database
• • Assist with tasks related to strengthening health systems as requested.

COVID-19 response and other tasks

• • If needed, contribute to WHO’s technical support in delivering healthcare and maintaining essential health services amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
• • Contribute to advocating the use of the Health Futures Strategic Dialogue (HFSD) approach for future-oriented health planning in Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam
• • Perform other tasks as requested by the WHO Representative and technical leads.  

Deliverables:

• • Monthly progress reports
• • Final mission report written in the specified format
• • Technical materials (e.g., policy briefs, presentation slides) produced throughout the consultancy period

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE

EDUCATION

Essential:  An advanced university degree in public health, health policy, health financing, or a related field.

EXPERIENCE

Essential: A minimum of 2 years of experience in strengthening one or more building blocks of health systems, with emphasis on key areas, such as PHC, health workforce and health financing, of low- and middle-income countries.

Desirable: Previous work experience in international organizations and/or low- and middle-income countries

TECHNICAL SKILLS & KNOWLEDGE

Knowledge of WHO’s framework and guidance to analyse and strengthen one or more technical areas in health systems strengthening, such as PHC, health workforce development or health financing policies. Knowledge of the epidemiological and demographic contexts in Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam. Skills in managing projects and working in multinational settings.

LANGUAGES

Expert reading, speaking and writing in English are required.

COMPETENCIES

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

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Contract duration

6 months starting January 2023

Medical clearance

Individual consultants have to provide a WHO fitness for work form from their physician.

Travel

For an internationally recruited consultant, the travel from the country of residence to the duty station will be arranged by the WHO Country Office.

APPLICATIONS

Qualified and interested specialists should submit their CV and Expression of Interest {cover letter} to the Supply Officer through WP RO UNGM at < wproungm@who.int > by 20 December 2022. 

The cover letter should outline how their experience and qualifications make them a suitable candidate for this position and should include their proposed daily consultancy fee and availability.

Please use Tender Notice No. 188309 as subject to all submission. Only successful candidates will be contacted.