The Position:
National Consultant for the review and updating of the Maternal Health Strategy framework and development of the National Acceleration Plan for Ending Preventable Maternal Mortality (EPMM)
The consultant will report to the UNFPA Assistant Representative.
The consultant is expected to work closely with the Director of DPCB and is expected to interact with Safe Motherhood Program Manager and other programme colleagues in the DPCB-CAMHD and other for matters related to their respective programmes and portfolios.
TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR INDIVIDUAL CONSULTANT
TERMS OF REFERENCE | ||||||||
Hiring Office: | UNFPA Philippine Country Office | |||||||
Purpose of consultancy: | National Consultant for the review and updating of the Maternal Health Strategy framework and development of the National Acceleration Plan for Ending Preventable Maternal Mortality (EPMM) | |||||||
Scope of work: | Background and rationale
To ensure rapid reduction of maternal and child mortality, the Department of Health (DOH) issued Administrative Order 2008-0029 entitled: “Implementing Health Reforms for the Rapid Reduction of Maternal and Neonatal Mortality”. Its objective included the (1) Engagement of all province-wide or city-wide health systems to adopt and implement the integrated MNCHN strategy; (2) Provision of targeted support to province-wide or city-wide health systems and specific population groups where the maternal and neonatal mortality problem is most severe; (3) Achievement of national MNCHN program targets for modem contraceptive prevalence rate (mCPR) from 35.9% to 60%, percentage of pregnant women having at least four antenatal care visits (ANC) from 70% to 80%, percentage of skilled birth attendance (SBA) and facility-based births from 40% to 80% and percentage of fully immunized children (FIC) from 70% to 95%. By 2015, the country was unable to meet its goal for maternal mortality which stood at 114 (target: 90 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births). In 2021, the maternal mortality rate further rose to 144 per 100,000 live births. Any initial progress made by the country was significantly interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2022 National Demographic Health Survey (NDHS) showed that mCPR is at 45% for currently married women, women receiving at least 4 ANC visits at 83%, skilled birth attendance at 90%, facility-based births at 88% and FIC at 72%. Advertisement
With the Universal Health Care Act law passed in 2019, latest data available from the NDHS 2022, National Objectives for Health 2024 – 2028 and 8-point health agenda, and the Omnibus Health Guidelines, there is a need to revisit the MNCHN strategy. Ironically, the progress in the improvement of MMR is slow despite the significant increase in intermediate indicators: FBD, SBA and ANC. Following the more recent information on the maternal health landscape in the Philippines and the developments in health policies and national health priorities, it is imperative to revisit and review the existing strategy and update as necessary in order to support the acceleration in the reduction of preventable maternal deaths in the Philippines. In March 2024, the UNFPA Asia Pacific Regional Office organised a technical workshop to operationalize the Ending Preventable Maternal Mortality (EPMM) and Every Newborn Action Plan (ENAP): Accelerating progress in emergency obstetric and newborn care (EmONC) and midwifery in the Asia and Pacific Region. The Philippines is one of the nine (out of 13 participating countries) in the APRO which developed its draft acceleration plan as one of the expected workshop outputs. The draft acceleration plan has been revised and presented to a core group composed of UNFPA-UNICEF-WHO regional and country office staff (June 6) and then to a broader group of stakeholders on June 18, 2024 during a national consultation meeting. Objectives and Scopes of the assignment
The roadmap should ensure Universal Access to sexual reproductive health rights and the 2030 agenda in line with the SDGs 2030 and help the country meet global EPMM and ENAP targets. Duties and Responsibilities An independent consultant is being sought to support the DOH in developing the roadmap to reducing Maternal Mortality (2024 – 2030) based on new data, and evidence-based national and global policies and strategies. The development of the roadmap has been initiated through a consultative process with relevant stakeholders, including relevant DOH departments and programmes, other departments, development partners, NGOs and local government units. This MNCHN roadmap 2025 – 2030 should be concise with clear objectives and targets and be linked to national policies and strategies such as:
Detailed tasks and duties are set out below: Advertisement
Work schedule and arrangements The consultancy will be a mix of desk review and face to face consultations. S/he will work closely with the DOH-DPCB Safe Motherhood Program Manager, Division Chief of the Child Adolescent, Maternal, Men Health Division of the Disease Prevention and Control Bureau, and with the UNFPA Philippine Country Office and Asia Pacific Regional Office. S/he is expected to meet with other DOH-DPCB officers and other relevant DOH bureaus (e.g. Health Human Resources and Development, Health Facility Development, Health Facilities and Services Regulation, Epidemiology, Health Policy Development and Planning, Health Emergency Management, Local Health Systems, International Health Cooperation, Centers for Health Development/Regional Offices, etc.), health development partners, professional societies, and NGOs. Expected Outputs and Timeframe
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Duration and working schedule: | The consultant shall complete the assignment within a five-month timeframe, which is expected to commence in August 2024 and to finish in December 2024, with the number of working days not exceeding 45 working days. | |||||||
Place where services are to be delivered: | Manila-based. This consultancy is open for national experts.
Working time and hours: Manila time zone. 8am to 5pm |
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Delivery dates and how work will be delivered (e.g. electronic, hard copy etc.): | The consultant is expected to commence the work in August 2024 and finish by December 2024.
The suggested payment schedule is detailed below:
Below is the table for ease of reference:
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Monitoring and progress control: | The UNFPA assigned officer and the Director of the DPCB will monitor the progress of the consultancy. | |||||||
Supervisory arrangements: | The consultant will report to the UNFPA Assistant Representative. The consultant is expected to work closely with the Director of DPCB and is expected to interact with Safe Motherhood Program Manager and other programme colleagues in the DPCB-CAMHD and other for matters related to their respective programmes and portfolios. Advertisement
The supervisor and DPCB-CAMHD programme managers and officers will have frequent interactions with the consultant at various stages in order to:
Upon completion of contract assignment, the supervisor will certify relevant documents, evaluate the consultant’s work and process/follow-up on the payments. |
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Expected travel: | The consultant is expected to travel within Metro Manila for the face to face consultation with stakeholders. | |||||||
Required expertise, qualifications and competencies, including language requirements: | Qualifications and Experience
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