Qualifications

1.      Purpose of the Consultancy

The main objectives of this consultancy are to provide technical advice to PHC Team WRO Egypt and EMRO:

·         To support the regional and national level implementation of  diploma in family medicine, “the regional professional diploma in family medicine” to strengthen family practice in EMR countries toward UHC and the SDGs – including the update and digitalization of course content, learning activities, and assessment methodologies, Training of Trainers and overall implementation overseeing and coordination.

·         Promotion of family medicine speciality in the EMR through support the ongoing collaboration between WHO and regional academic institutes in strengthening Family Medicine speciality (training, capacity building and continuous medical education, and interprofessional networking).

·         Contribute to analytic work/ guidance development on family medicine in EMR as part of WHO EMRO initiative “PHC operational levers into practice: EMRO’s Guidance for developing the minimum requirements of primary care facilities based on the national model of care”

2.      Background

Strengthening Primary Health Care (PHC) through Family Practice-based Model of care is an essential bedrock in achieving universal health coverage (UHC), as called for in Sustainable Development Goal number 3, target 3.8. However, A global shortage of family practitioners is posing significant challenges, including in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. Only 700 family practitioners graduate each year in the whole Region against an estimated need for 21 000 practitioners per year.

The WHO EMRO Regional Director has formulated a Steering Committee (SC) for promoting family practice in the EMR. The Committee has members from WHO EMRO as well as partner organizations including The Arab Board of Health Specializations (ABHS) and the World Organization for Family Doctors (WONCA) and from academic institutions.

To help bridge this huge gap, the Steering Committee agreed on the outline of the 24-month Regional Professional Diploma in Family Medicine (RPD-FM) with two objectives: first, meeting the training duration of most accrediting bodies; second, opening career and training pathways to graduates through the option of completing the Arab Board training after graduation.

The new training programme provides practicing general physicians a solid knowledge of family medicine. Participants will take eight modules over two years. They will study through a mixture of online learning and face-to-face clinical training in accredited training centers, making it possible to combine the training with work as a general physician. The new training programme is supported by leading international organizations in the field of family medicine.

WHO EMRO plays leading role in supporting regional and national level adaptation and adoption of the training programme providing continuing professional development activities through selected academic and training institutions, using the basic curriculum, training manual and suggested models provided by WHO and the ABHS; providing the IT support for the online part of the programme (registration system, learning  management and online assessments)  the proposed post ensure continuation of the WHO support and leadership.

Currently, the Regional Professional Diploma in Family Medicine (RPD-FM) is being implemented through regional and country-specific initiatives. These initiatives aim to address the shortage of family practitioners and strengthen primary healthcare services across the Eastern Mediterranean Region.

WHO EMRO has been actively working with partner organizations, academic institutions, and national health authorities to promote and expand the diploma program. Through collaborative efforts, the training program is expected to witness new cohorts starting in October 2023 and April 2024.

These initiatives also recognize the need for a multidimensional approach to tackle the shortage of family practitioners. Efforts are being made to increase the number of training centers, strengthen academic partnerships, and enhance the capacity of healthcare institutions to deliver the diploma program effectively. Additionally, collaboration with international organizations and experts in family medicine continues to be a vital aspect of the initiative, ensuring that the training program adheres to global standards and best practices.

A.     Planned timelines (subject to confirmation)

Start date: 1 November 2023

End date: 30 June  2024

Work to be performed

B.      Deliverables for WRO Egypt and EMRO

1. Deliverable 1: Assess the fully functioning modules for regional professional diploma in family medicine 
2. Deliverable 2:  Assess and report on students’ enrolment and training of the different patches of the RPDFM. 
3. Deliverable 3: Evaluate and report on Regional professional diploma programme implementation in academic institutes in EMR. 

4.      Deliverable 4:  Report on Steering Committee recommendations for promoting FM in the EMR.

5.      Deliverable 5: report on contribution to analytic work/ publications/ guidelines for family practice in EMR

C.      Deliverables for EMRO

To achieve the above objectives, the consultant will perform the following:

1. To contribute to the family medicine diploma especially the regional 2 years diploma capacity building bridging training for general physicians at EMR through updating the course content, learning activities, and assessment methodologies. 
2. Coordinate digitizing content to online learning management system and co-supervise educational process for multiple cohorts with relevant training institutes. 

3.      Provide technical guidance to Member States in implementing and expanding health information systems specifically tailored for family practice and primary care settings.

4. Liaise between WHO EMRO and RPDFM Steering Committee, the Arab board for health specializations (ABHS), the World Organization of Family Doctors (WONCA), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) for strategic approaches to promote family medicine in the EMR. 

Required Qualifications

Education:

Bachelor’s degree in family medicine, primary care or public health.

–           Solid background in family medicine (preferably faculty member of an academic institution –

Experience:

At least 5 years’ experience in managing academic and admin aspects in academic institutes, public health and service delivery innovations. International experience is mandatory for international consultants.

Skills/ Technical knowledge

–          Excellent knowledge of   health systems, stakeholder analysis and service delivery.

–          Good communication / PR skills

–          Good experience with project management

Language

Fluent (Read – Write – Speak) in English and Arabic, French is preferable

Location:

The consultant will work at WRO Egypt (30% of the time) and WHO EMRO, with possible remote assignments and travel in the EMR, as needed

Medical clearance : The selected Consultant will be expected to provide a medical certificate of fitness for work.

Travel (If travel is involved, a medical certificate of fitness for work will be required.) All travel arrangements will be made by WHO – WHO will not be responsible for tickets purchased by the Consultant without the express, prior authorization of WHO. While on mission under the terms of this consultancy, the Consultant will receive subsistence allowance. Visas requirements: it is the consultant’s responsibility to fulfil visa requirements and ask for visa support letter(s) if needed.

Additional Information section

• 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’s workforce adheres to the WHO Values Charter and is committed to put the WHO Values into practice – https://www.who.int/about/who-we-are/our-values 
• 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 in each location/jurisdiction in which the work hereunder is performed, and the Consultant shall not be entitled to any reimbursement thereof by WHO. 
• 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.