Agreement for Performance of Work on Health Education

Terms of Reference

Writing a document on the potential to standardise health professions education programmes in the Pacific; common standards and processes to achieve programme accreditation within the Pacific Qualifications Framework; and common core content to achieve recognition by international accreditation assessment agencies and professional bodies

(Drafted at 1 Feb 2017, Version 1)

Background

Implementation of the Pacific Qualifications Framework (PQF) is currently progressing across the Pacific region. National training institutions are being reviewed by their ministries of education to identify the steps needed to achieve compliance. The development of the PQF is a move towards achieving a regional standardisation of qualifications, so that the graduates of the many and various country level programmes could have their qualifications appropriately recognised by their own and other countries in the region.

A recent unpublished work on health professions training programmes in the Pacific identified over 230 individual health programmes and various methods and agencies of programme accreditation. Such a large number has come about by sovereign nations establishing their own programmes, often with the assistance of bilateral donors or churches. Yet to comply with the PQF many training institutions now need to upgrade the qualifications of their staff and to provide programmes and educational facilities that allow training to occur at an acceptable standard. 

For several Pacific countries, budgetary and infrastructure constraints compromise their ability to meet the PQF standards, or to produce sufficient numbers of graduates to meet their workforce needs.  Combining limited HR budgets, small numbers in training, emigration, retirement, mobility from the public to the private sector and the loss of senior staff, produces significant service gaps in medical, nursing and allied health staff, particularly in rural areas and among senior positions. These issues have persisted for many years and no immediate solution is in the offing. In order to address these long-standing issues, a new approach is needed that reinforces the implementation of the PQF, standardise the preparation of programme teaching materials, creates common standards of evaluation for accreditation, makes the best use of limited numbers of qualified academic staff and ensures that educational standards are maintained so that intra-regional workforce sharing becomes one of the solutions to workforce shortages.

Any such proposal to introduce new thinking into health professions education for the region will need to comply with the Framework for Pacific Regionalism endorsed by Pacific Islands Forum Leaders in July 2014, which contains 7 tests against which new initiatives will be tested for inclusion in regional action frameworks.     

Purpose/Specific objective of the activity

Working closely with WHO Division of Pacific Technical Support (DPS) and partners, the contractor will write a document on the potential to standardise health professions education programmes in the Pacific; common standards and processes to achieve programme accreditation within the Pacific Qualifications Framework; and common core content to achieve recognition by international accreditation assessment agencies and professional bodies.

Description of tasks/Process involved in carrying out the activity

In collaboration with WHO and SPC, the contractor will:

1. Produce an inventory of
   a. current health professions education programmes in the Pacific Region, identifying their entry requirement, who pays the fees, their level of award and commonalities or differences of content within single award levels across the region; and
   b. programme providers (public, private, etc) and accrediting authorities (education sector, health sector, etc) by country, a list of international accreditation assessment organisations and a description of the processes they go through to recommend programme accreditation
2. Propose a method(s) to standardise Pacific health professions education programmes that is consistent with the aims of Pacific Regionalism and the legal provisions of the PQF and which will provide for international recognition
3. Propose a method(s) for accrediting programmes that takes into account the content and skills transferred, such that a standardisation of programmes can be facilitated. 
4. Prepare a draft paper for senior health leaders to discuss and review during the Heads of Health meeting in 25-26 April 2017. 
5. Prepare and present findings to the Heads of Health meeting.

Method(s) to carry out the activity

Desk review, interviews, consultations, and writing

Timeline/Duration of assignment

The duration for of the assignment is from 20 February to 5 May 2017, preferably with 25~35 working days.

Proposed activities                                                                                                           Due dates

Workplan submitted and accepted (3~4 working days)                                             20-24 February

Inventory and draft recommendations submitted (7~10 working days)                 27 February –17 March

Consultation with key stakeholder conducted (necessary fund for the                  20 March- 7 April
consultation will be provided by WHO separately so don’t need to include
this budget into the quotation) (5~7 working days)

Further revision of the document (5~7 working days)                                                3-14 April

Heads of health consultation (2 working days)                                                            25-26 April

Complete the final report (3~5 working days)                                                              5 May

Deliverable(s) to be submitted during and after the period of the assignment including manner of delivery and payment

• 0% upon signature of the contract
• Workplan submitted and accepted by the technical officer: by 24 February 2017 (30% payment)
• Interim report with inventory and draft recommendations submitted and approved by the technical officer: by 17 March 2017 (35% payment)

Final report submitted and approved by the technical officer: by 5 May 2017 (35% payment)

Detailed cost breakdown

Description                                                                       Unit amount                         Unit cost (USD)                    Total (USD)

Contractual fee (can be more than 1 person):        (submit your required days,          (submit your expected
                                                                                           preferably  between 25 to              daily rate)
                                                                                           35 days)

Miscellaneous (if any, please specify):                                                                            

Interested should submit the proposal to wpfjidpsprocurement@who.int by  10 February 2017. Please indicate Tender Notice No. 53727 as subject to all submissions. Vendor under serious consideration will be contacted.