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Qualifications

Background 

Health accounts have been the standard way for countries to monitor health expenditures. The accounting framework System of Health Accounts (SHA 2011) generates consistent, comprehensive, and disaggregated data on health spending in a country, providing the evidence base to guide countries’ policy making towards UHC.

In recent years, with an increase in the number of countries estimating their health expenditure, with growing regularity, many countries face challenges to improve the timeliness and quality of data collection and analysis. In countries where local human resources capacity is constrained, the progress of institutionalization of health accounts into routine work has been slow. During the pandemic, it is also observed that the production of health accounts is disrupted due to various factors.

WHO works with Member States and partners to support the production and use of health accounts information in countries. Technical assistance from WHO includes supporting countries in conducting health accounts studies targeting at policy relevant expenditure tracking; and organizing meetings and training workshops to support capacity building and knowledge exchange across countries. Further WHO publishes high-level health expenditure aggregates on the Global Health Expenditure Database (GHED) through its annual update process.

Deliverables

Tasks

Support AFR countries in conducting health accounts studies.

Support WHO in delivering training workshops and/or capacity building activities to strengthen health accounts capacity building and institutional institutionalization in countries upon request.

Support the WHO Global Health Expenditure Database (GHED) annual update for the African Region

Activities

• Prepare health accounts study 2020 and cross tables, including methodological annex describing the estimation process for special COVID-19 spending reporting items and PHC spending.
• Support the country teams in drafting country health accounts reports on request.
• Support countries to increase uptake of evidence from National Health Accounts (NHA) into policy and planning and document lessons.
• Prepare basic health accounts training materials/slides, including introduction of the new HAPT tool as appropriate.
• Support WHO in delivering the training workshops.
• Liaise with and facilitate review of mini tables for AFR countries in format provided by WHO.
• Attend training sessions for consultants organized by WHO.
• Support country consultation and validation process
• Attend training sessions for consultants organized by WHO.
• Support country consultation and validation process.

Deliverables

Cross tables, data analysis and country health accounts report.

Training provided to requesting countries 2023 “Mini” health expenditure estimates reviewed for AFR Member States.

Timelines

April 2023 to October 2023.

Qualifications, experience, skills and languages

Master’s degree in statistics, financial management, economics, demography, public health, or related field.

Experience

Essential:

• At least 7 years experiences in supporting health expenditure tracking especially in African countries or lower-middle- or low-income contexts.
• Competence in the use of the Health Accounts Production Tool
• Knowledge on health systems especially in health financing, health economics.

Desirable:

• Expertise in completing the OECD Joint Health Accounts Questionnaire (JHAQ) will be an advantage.

Skills/Knowledge

• Sound communication and interpersonal skills.
• Excellent analytical and writing skills including the ability to make high quality technical presentations.
• Proficiency in Microsoft office applications
• Proficiency in analytical software’s such as R, STATA, SPSS, etc

Languages:

Excellent communication skills – written and spoken – in English, with working knowledge of French, or vice versa.

Location

On site: WHO Regional Office in Africa, Congo Brazzaville.

The consultant will support work of the Health Financing and Investment (HFI) team in the WHO Regional Office in Africa. He/she will provide technical support in the National Health Accounts to the countries listed below and other countries when required. He/She might travel to those countries.

Countries to be supported: 

Malawi

Purpose: Provide technical support to conduct National Health Accounts (NHA) data collection, analysis, and reporting

Seychelles

Purpose: Conduct National Health Accounts (NHA) data collection, analysis and reporting and COVID expenditure reporting 2020-2022.

Togo

Purpose: Provide technical support to conduct National Health Accounts (NHA) data collection, analysis, and reporting

South Africa

Purpose: Provide technical support to conduct National Health Accounts (NHA) data collection, analysis, and reporting

Zanzibar

Purpose: Provide technical support to conduct National Health Accounts studies for Zanzibar

Uganda

Purpose: Provide technical support to the Ministry of Health to conduct the 9th cycle of the National Health Accounts covering Financial Years 2019/20 and 2020/21.

Mozambique

Purpose: Conduct trainings and provide technical support on the National Health Accounts (NHA).

Remuneration
Monthly rate at upper band level B (P4) – USD $8,500 per month.

Duration of consultancy 

Six (6) months (from 20 April 2023 to 20 October 2023).

Additional Information:

• This vacancy notice may be used to identify candidates for other similar consultancies at the same level.
• Only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted.
• A written test may be used as a form of screening.
• If your candidature is retained for interview, you will be required to provide, in advance, a scanned copy of the degree(s)/diploma(s)/certificate(s) required for this position. WHO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU)/United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed through the link: http://www.whed.net/. Some professional certificates may not appear in the WHED and will require individual review.
• For information on WHO’s operations please visit: http://www.who.int.
• WHO is committed to workforce diversity.
• WHO has a smoke-free environment and does not recruit smokers or users of any form of tobacco.
• Applications from women and from nationals of non and underrepresented Member States are particularly encouraged.
• WHO prides itself on a workforce that adheres to the highest ethical and professional standards and that is committed to put the WHO Values Charter into practice.
• WHO has zero tolerance towards sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA), sexual harassment and other types of abusive conduct (i.e., discrimination, abuse of authority and harassment). All members of the WHO workforce have a role to play in promoting a safe and respectful workplace and should report to WHO any actual or suspected cases of SEA, sexual harassment and other types of abusive conduct. To ensure that individuals with a substantiated history of SEA, sexual harassment or other types of abusive conduct are not hired by the Organization, WHO will conduct a background verification of final candidates.
• Consultants shall perform the work as independent contractors in a personal capacity, and not as a representative of any entity or authority. The execution of the work under a consultant contract does not create an employer/employee relationship between WHO and the Consultant.
• WHO shall have no responsibility whatsoever for any taxes, duties, social security contributions or other contributions payable by the Consultant. The Consultant shall be solely responsible for withholding and paying any taxes, duties, social security contributions and any other contributions which are applicable to the Consultant in each location/jurisdiction in which the work hereunder is performed, and the Consultant shall not be entitled to any reimbursement thereof by WHO.