Senior Consultant to Provide Technical Support for Advocacy Roadmap in Support of Specimen Referral System Integration with the Social Health Insurance

Terms of Reference

Senior Consultant to provide technical support for advocacy roadmap in support of specimen referral system (SRS) integration with the Social Health Insurance (SHI)

1. BACKGROUND OF THE ASSIGNMENT

1.1        The beneficiary

The beneficiary organization of the final deliverable is the Ministry of Health (MoH) in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

1.2        Contracting Authority

The contracts relative to this technical assistant will be signed with the representatives of Abt Associates Inc. in their role as a provider of technical assistance to the Ministry of Health in accordance with the Infectious Disease Detection and Surveillance (IDDS) program of cooperation.

1.3        IDDS Background

The Infectious Disease Detection and Surveillance (IDDS) activity is a 5-year cost-plus-fixed-fee contract with a ceiling of $120 million, awarded in May 2018 to ICF Inc. with sub-partners: FHI 360, PATH, Abt Associates, Metabiota, African Society for Laboratory Medicine, and Gryphon Scientific.  It is a global award designed to support USAID’s tuberculosis, Global Health Security Agenda, and Emerging Pandemic Threat strategies and portfolios while encouraging integration or coordination across public health diseases and between the human and animal health sectors where appropriate. 

The purpose of IDDS activity is to operationalize USAID, U.S. Government and global initiatives and strategies aimed to reduce global health threats posed by infectious diseases – including TB and MDR-TB, focusing on strengthening of disease detection networks and surveillance systems in order to:

• Improve the detection of diseases of public health importance and identification of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in priority infectious diseases through an accessible, accurate, adaptable, timely, and integrated diagnostic network system; and
• Improve the quality of real-time surveillance systems for pathogens of the greatest public health concern, including AMR and zoonotic diseases.

1.4        Context of the assignment

Within Vietnam, basic diagnostic capability can be found at the district level with increased capacity at the provincial and regional levels. With the available resources, the emphasis has been on transporting specimens to referral sites over decentralizing diagnostic capacity.  This makes specimen referral and transport systems essential to the functioning of the diagnostic network. While specimen referral systems (SRS) exist in Vietnam, they are fragmented, lack full coverage, and integrated systems that incorporate the requirements for many diseases or a one health approach do not exist. For an integrated specimen referral system to function optimally, it must have adequate geographical and disease coverage, use efficient and timely transportation systems, maintain specimen integrity, protect the safety of those transporting the specimens, and have adequate financial resources to ensure sustainability. This includes planning for the necessary information management systems, human resources, equipment, and technical support, in addition to the transportation costs.

While the diagnostic test itself may be financed through the Vietnamese Social Health Insurance (SHI), most of the additional components of an integrated SRS (including specimen transport and associated support activities) for curative care are not covered by SHI, leaving the regions, provinces, sites, and providers to come up with many different paths to lead to testing or in many cases, testing is not provided.

To address these gaps, IDDS has been working with existing partners under the Ministry of Health of Vietnam, and other relevant stakeholders to develop an integrated human specimen referral system and to ensure that specimen referral and transportation requirements are considered for a variety of pathogens. Initially, IDDS focused on understanding the existing fragmented specimen referral systems within chosen provinces, including reviewing existing data and supporting the establishment of an effective governance structure that brings these fragmented systems together. IDDS, through Abt Associates, conducted an activity-based costing exercise of current and proposed human specimen referral systems. Abt then drafted a brief on possible means of financing these systems in Vietnam.

As a next step, IDDS will work with key stakeholders to develop an advocacy roadmap for integrating the human SRS (curative sector) into SHI.

2. OBJECTIVE AND TASKS OF THE ASSIGNMENT

2.1.       Objective

To support the overarching activity objectives, the IDDS project, through Abt Associates, Inc., seeks a local senior consultant with demonstrated experience and knowledge of public health and health insurance to lead a stakeholder process with the aim of developing an advocacy roadmap for integrating the human SRS into SHI. The consultant will work closely with the IDDS team in Vietnam and IDDS staff at Abt Associates, Inc. located in the United States to complete the work in-country. The lead for SHI on the Abt-led Local Health System Strengthening activity in Vietnam will also provide limited support.

2.2.       Tasks

In close coordination with the IDDS team, the consultant will carry out the following tasks:

• Review IDDS documents relevant to the deliverable
• Identify key stakeholders and GVN host agency/focal point to develop advocacy roadmap for SRS integration into SHI
  Design and facilitate a workshop hosted by the MOH department to develop an advocacy roadmap. The roadmap will specify key actions to support the advocacy process. Possible actions that the roadmap may recommend include:
  
  • Exploring the status of agreements in principle between health service providers for the referral of specimens and providing guidance and support for the development of these lists.
  • Examining the adequacy of current price lists to pay for both subclinical services themselves and the cost of transportation of the specimens. If the prices are currently not adequate to support the transport of specimens, then a detailed list of the data and steps needed to update prices lists will need to be developed and enacted.
  • Conducting other analyses, such as budget impact and cost-effectiveness.
• Design and facilitate workshop hosted by MOH department to validate advocacy roadmap and determine next steps.
• Participate in IDDS team meetings and meetings with USAID as required

3. RISKS

The feasibility of this activity depends on the level of interest by GVN agencies, especially the MOH and VSS. No major risks foreseen at this time are unique to the scope of this work. If the COVID-19 pandemic or another unforeseen situation interrupts project activities in Vietnam, the timeline of this scope of work will be revised accordingly.

4. MANAGEMENT OF THE ASSIGNMENT

The IDDS team will be responsible for managing the technical assistance and the technical products.

5. LOCATION AND TIMING

5.1.       Location

The work will be carried out at the national level in Hanoi and may require travel to selected provinces (e.g., Dong Thap, Binh Dinh, and/or Thai Nguyen).

5.2.       Timing

The assignment is planned for the period from January 2022 to August 2022 with a total of up to 40 working days.

6. REQUIREMENTS

6.1.       Qualification requirements

The consultant is expected to fulfill the following requirements:

• Graduate degree in Public Health or relevant disciplines
• At least 15 years of work and/or consultancy experience with health programs, experience in resource mobilization is highly desired
• Knowledge and understanding of the Social Health Insurance system in Vietnam and its current context
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively with government agencies including MOH at the central level and Department of Health at the provincial level
• High level of oral and written communication skills in Vietnamese required

6.2.       Equipment

The consultant agrees to use their own computers and equipment as necessary to carry out the work.

7. DELIVERABLES AND REPORTING

• Recommendations on key stakeholders and GVN host agency/focal point to develop advocacy roadmap for SRS integration into SHI
• Concept note on workshop for developing advocacy roadmap
• Agenda, participant list, and materials for a workshop on developing advocacy roadmap
• Concept note on workshop for validating advocacy roadmap
• Agenda, participant list, and materials for a workshop on validating advocacy roadmap
• The validated advocacy roadmap document

All deliverables shall be approved by Abt Associates, Inc. All deliverables shall be produced in English, or Vietnamese and translated by the IDDS team.

To apply, please send your application documents to the following link:

https://egpy.fa.us2.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/CandidateExperience/en/sites/CX_1/job/101284/?utm_medium=jobshare

Deadline: Open until filled

Only short-listed candidates will be contacted for interviews.