JOB DESCRIPTION
QUALIFICATIONS
Area of expertise
The Saharawi refugees are grouped in 5 camps located in the Wilaya of Tindouf located at the’western end of’ of Algeria. In the absence of’a census and following the publication in March 2018 of the’studie « Total in Camps », their population is estimated by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to be 173,600 people, some of whom have been living there for more than 40 years in climatic and environmental conditions difficult and on an arid and desert territory with extreme temperatures conducive to the development of certain health problems. It is in this context that many UN agencies under the coordination of UNHCR have been present there for decades as well as many NGOs. L’organisation of health in these camps is built in a pyramidal way with at the top a so-called national hospital, at intermedial level 5 hospitals says « Regional » in each camp and at peripheral level 30 dispensaries scattered in said camps. This system operates with relative autonomy except that the survival of these populations without real economic activity or rent depends almost exclusively from the external’aide.
The latest food security assessment conducted by the World Food Programme in August 2018 estimated the number of food insecure people living in the camps at 133,672.”
Purpose of consultancy
The’objective is to ensure the presence of’OMS in the 5 camps. It is’ of :
- Coordinate, advocate and facilitate the implementation of the Sahrawi authorities and WHO work plan, 2022-2025 (attached) ;
- Coordinate for’OMS, in collaboration with other agencies the implementation of the Saharawi Refugies Response Plan (SRRP 2024-2025) recently validated in Algiers before all partners for a joint mobilization of resources. Advertisement
- Coordinate and provide technical support in the response to public health emergencies and humanitarian actions in the 5 camps ;
- Follow-up, reporting and documentation of the implementation, of the’s support in the implementation of the work plan with the Saharawi authorities
Background
L’S populations have been present in the past to coordinate with’UNHCR the implementation of Health activities in these Saharawi refugee camps of Tindouf but this presence is necessary and very useful was interrupted for a while because of’a lack of funding.
In September 2021, during a visit to these camps by the Representative of’OMS in Algeria, a, one of the major demands of the Saharawis in the direction of’OMS was its effective return to these camps in order to ensure, the, under the lead of UNHCR’an effective and efficient implementation of health activities in camps aligned with’ achieving the SDGs3.
To that effect, ’OMS has stepped up its activities in the camps since the beginning of 2023 by carrying out an inventory that has revealed that the main health challenges in the camps of refugees from Tindouf are :
- An increase in the health problems of the mother and the’child in the camps which results in, an increase in the prevalence (per 1000 live births) of low birth weight children from 5.0% in 2020 to 8.0% in 2022 (SIS Data, SIS, June 2023). In addition, the frequency of’anaemia and malnutrition among children between 2019 and 2021. Either of 6% to 9.9% for malnutrition and 46.4% to 54% for’anaemia.
- A deficit in the management of the health problems of the mother and the’child in health facilities (FOSA), and, in particular in the field of prenatal care and postnatal care, the quality of which is below standard. This may partly justify the maternal mortality rate in the camps which stood in 2021 at about 1.32 per 1000 while’il should be less than 0.7 per 1000 according to the’OMS. Infant and neonatal mortality rates increased from 21 per 1000 to 35 per 1000 and from 19.5 per 1000 to 33 per 1000 respectively.
- A lack of coordination and supervision of health-related activities by multiple partners of both the UN and local or international NGOs, this does not allow an optimization of the results and hence of the expected’ impact on the health of the populations.
- A Health Information System Failing at Several Levels, not allowing to have the relevant data for the planning of the health activities in the camps of’ on the one hand and not allowing to have reliable indicators on the health of the Saharawi populations. This is due overall to an organization poorly understood by most actors, reporting forms not updated, poor mastery of the’ available computer tool (formulas erased on some Excel files), etc, insufficient supervision and resources.
- A lack of many indicators of epidemiological surveillance due to the non-updating of the list of diseases under surveillance, an inadequate organization of the surveillance system, etc, a virtual absence or inadequacy of tools and a lack of training of actors. Report timeliness data are not available because the reporting dates are not always reported. Completeness is 28.6% for reports weekly and 42.9% for reports monthly at the dispensary level. At the level of each of the 5 camps, it varies between 40% and 83%. Very far from the standards.
- L’ inability of the system in place to detect, notify, alert and investigate in the early hours abnormal events such as epidemics.
- Human resources not prepared to face major epidemics despite the Covid-19 pandemic which has left nearly 2,150 cases including 90 deaths in the camps ( SIS data, June, 2023 ).
- A qualitative and quantitative deficit in human resources in the local health field in the camps because, on the one hand to the very bad conditions of remuneration and other parts of the fact that the most experienced go to offer their services elsewhere, outside the camps where living conditions are much better. This translates, for example, into the drop in the rate of monthly consultations carried out by qualified nurses in the camps, which went from 54.0% in 2020 to 43.6% in 2022 ( SIS data, June 2023 ).
In view of the above findings in the Health sector, the situation in the other sectors was not better. This prompted the’ of all partners active in the camps to develop a response plan for Saharawi refugees initially for the period 2023-2024 (SRRP 2023-2024) and then readjusted for the period 2024-2025 (SRRP 2024-2025) for a better mobilization of resources to raise these major challenges. L’OMS took part alongside other partners in the sector in the development of the sector plan Health of the SRRP 2024-2025 and is positioned on the following 4 strategic objectives:
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- Improve the management and performance of active health personnel in the camps.
- Increase coverage and improve the quality of basic health services in the area of health care, prevention and promotion.
- Improve the transparency of health information and its usefulness for decision-making, including epidemiological surveillance and response
- Strengthen collaboration between sectors, with other agencies and organisations, and the participation of civil society
Deliverables
Under the direct supervision of the Head of the EPR Cluster of the Country Office and the Representative of’OMS, the consultant will perform the following tasks :
- Facilitate the updating of the’situation analysis, the development, budgeting and validation of annual work plans with the Saharawi authorities ;
- Interact with the Office of’OMS to establish a technical support’ plan for the implementation of the annual workplans ;
- Facilitate the preparation and organisation of technical support missions’ ;
- Support the preparation and organisation of follow-up meetings on the implementation of planned activities, including biannual and annual reviews in cooperation with other agencies present in Tindouf ;
- Coordinate the’ processes for the preparation of annual work plans,’ technical support missions and reviews with other agencies present in Tindouf and the camps ;
- Ensure the communication and visibility of the actions of’OMS ;
- Document and share good experiences
- Prepare quarterly, semi-annual and annual monitoring reports ;
- Advocating donors for resource mobilization ;
- Report regularly on a weekly basis on the’evolution of the context ;
- Perform any other tasks assigned by the supervisor
Expected results
In general, the implementation of the priority activities of’OMS, particularly in the health sector, is effective in accordance with the Saharawi Refugee Response Plan 2024-2025 (SRRP 2024-2025).
- Coordination of the’OMS technical support to the Saharawi authorities, other UN agencies and other health workers is effective and monitored in the camps;
- The management, management and performance of health personnel working in the camps is significantly improved in terms of the basic indicators ;
- The coverage of Saharawi populations is being expanded and the quality of health care and services is being improved, particularly in the areas of primary and secondary care, prevention and promotion of health ;
- The quality of the’ health information is improved for a decision-making better informed by these data including the data of epidemiological surveillance ;
- Collaboration in the health sector as well as intersectoral collaboration is strengthened in the camps with other agencies and organisations with the participation of civil society ;
- The monitoring, reporting and documentation of good practices of the’s support of’OMS and other health stakeholders are ensured.
Qualifications, experience, skills and languages
EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS
Essential
- Hold a higher university degree ( Master ) in Public Health
EXPERIENCE
Essential
- Justify a relevant work experience of at least 7 years of experience in the coordination of public health emergencies and humanitarian emergencies in Africa ; fieldwork in support of response to health emergencies and humanitarian situations, coordination of partners in public health and humanitarian emergencies.
Desirable
- Have national and or international experience in the field of technical support for preparation for public health emergencies.
LANGUAGES AND LEVEL REQUIRED ( BASIC / INTERMEDIATE / EXPERT )
Essential
- Excellent command of English or Spanish or French or Arabic ( written / oral )
Rental
- On site: Tindouf camps in Algeria
Travel
To be determined
Remuneration and budget
REMUNERATION
USD 8,500 – 9,980 per month corresponding to band level B of WHO consultant grid.
LIVING EXPENSES (A LIVING EXPENSE IS PAYABLE TO ON-SITE CONSULTANTS WHO ARE INTERNATIONALLY RECRUITED)
Currency and rate will be communicated in due course.