Job Description
Purpose of consultancy
This consultancy aims to support the WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific to provide technical assistance to Member States in developing and implementing sustainable health financing strategies, with a specific focus on health analytics and policy support based on macroeconomic/macrofiscal work, public financial management, and health expenditure trends. The work will be guided by the various health financing analytic frameworks and tools developed by WHO and contribute to the thematic priority areas highlighted by the regional vision paper “Weaving Health for Families, Communities and Societies in the Western Pacific Region.”
The chosen candidate may provide support remotely or be deployed in short-term assignments to provide technical assistance to Member States on health financing work as well as health accounts production, resource tracking and policy use. The consultant will work under the supervision of the Health Economist, Health Policy and Service Design in the WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific and in close coordination with relevant technical colleagues at the headquarters, regional and country levels.
Background
Over the past decade, the Western Pacific Region has made notable progress in advancing Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) targets by improving access to essential health services. Increased public investments in the health sector have played a key role in these achievements, with many countries undertaking ambitious health financing reforms in recent years. However, strong economic development in the region has also played a large part in driving these developments.
Despite these advancements, government priority to health has plateaued, leading to challenges in financial protection, service quality, and unmet health needs. Approximately 385 million people in the region, or one in five people, suffered from catastrophic spending when accessing healthcare in 2017. At the same time, countries and areas in the Pacific are struggling with unique geographic and socioeconomic conditions that are driving the risks of unmet needs and foregone care. Many countries in the region are grappling with the rising costs of healthcare, with challenges around sustaining essential health services, especially those countries still dependent on external assistance. The COVID-19 pandemic has put further strain on health systems and economies.
Given the current situation, coordinated and comprehensive health financing policies across the health system and across the broader government sectors are more important than ever. The recently endorsed Regional Action Framework on Health Financing for the Western Pacific has highlighted the critical need for governments to support efforts to sustain and/or increase domestic financing for health. In this case, regional and national guidance, analyses, and policy support for health financing in relation to the macroeconomic and macrofiscal climate within which the health sector operates, countries in the region transitioning from funding from global health initiatives, especially for essential health services, the flow of financing throughout the public financial system, and health expenditure trends is critical for evidence-informed health policy-making. This consultancy is intended to support these efforts.
Deliverables
Activity 1: Work with WHO to support countries in tracking resource allocation, conducting macro fiscal analysis and strengthening public financial management (PFM) systems, with a focus on Pacific Island Countries and countries experiencing donor transition (Papua New Guinea (PNG), Solomon Islands, Cambodia, Lao PDR, the Philippines, etc.)
- Support WHO engagement with the priority countries in facilitating health financing policy dialogues with the government counterpart(s) and development partners. This includes developing technical documents related to coordination and tracking of domestic resource and donor funding, participation to the health financing working group meetings (remote and/or onsite), and country missions upon requests
- Work with the WHO regional and country offices to strengthen the PFM system to facilitate the ongoing donor transition and primary health care reforms in priority countries. This includes developing relevant technical documents, joining capacity-building and experts consultations/sessions, and missions upon requests
- Attend and contribute to technical sessions as a resource person on relevant subjects at the upcoming 8th bi-regional health financing workshop for universal health coverage in Asia. Deliver presentations and contribute to the writing of the meeting reports as required.
- Provide timely synthesis on the macro fiscal analysis by international authorities (IMF, WB and ADB) to inform strategic discussions for the region.
Deliverable 1.1: Mission reports (if any) and technical documents on donor resource tracking, PFM analysis, and regional and/or country-specific (upon request) macro fiscal situation analysis based on IMF/WB/ADB major outlook reports.
Deliverable 1.2: Technical documents, mission reports, and other relevant reports produced as a resource person for the 8th bi-regional health financing workshop for universal health coverage in Asia.
Deliverable 1.3: Participate as an expert and/or production of materials for capacity-building efforts for public financial management, donor transition, health expenditure tracking, and others upon request.
Activity 2: Under WHO’s guidance, support countries in the production of health expenditure/health accounts data based on the SHA2011 framework, and produce policy briefs/reports to promote health expenditure data for policy use
- Produce the health accounts report for Cambodia for the most recent available reference year based on the WHO GHED updated requirement and timeline, including the metadata files, country financial flow chart, with a specific focus on the production of a policy implications section that incorporates the impact of transitioning from donor support/global health initiatives in the near future.
- Attend and contribute to technical sessions as a resource person at health accounts experts’ meetings that may be hosted online. Deliver presentations and contribute to the writing of the meeting reports within the expected timeline as required.
- Provide technical assistance to priority countries (e.g., the Philippines, PNG, Cambodia, Fiji) on the development of primary health care (PHC) expenditure tracking, disease expenditure tracking, out-of-pocket expenditure tracking, pharmaceutical expenditure tracking, etc. upon request.
- Develop, and/or provide technical input to 2-3 health accounts policy briefs in collaboration with WHO and the government counterparts for priority countries (e.g., Fiji and Mongolia) upon request.
Deliverable 2.1: Cambodia health accounts report for the most recent available reference year, specific focus on policy implications of transitioning from global health initiatives and external assistance.
Deliverable 2.2: Two to three health accounts policy briefs by July 2025
Activity 3: Support the WHO regional office in conducting health expenditure, PFM, coordinated health financing and health workforce analysis, and other economic-related analysis to support the implementation of the WHO resolution on Economics of Health for All (resolution WHA77.13) and the regional framework on health financing
- Contribute to the development of new technical programmes and/or projects related to the Economics of Health for All and the regional framework on health financing by providing strategic thinking, conducting analyses and producing technical material on the relevant subjects upon request.
Deliverable 3.1: Technical documents on relevant subjects for the economics of health for all approach and the regional action framework for health financing in the Western Pacific Region
Qualifications, experience, skills and languages
Educational Qualifications:
Essential: Master’s degree in statistics, financial management, economics, demography, public health, or related field.
Desirable: PhD in health economics, public health, or related field.
Experience
Essential: Minimum 10 years of experience in health financing including country support to public financial management, health expenditure tracking, and health economics, preferably in the Western Pacific Region.
Desirable: More than 10 years of experience, exhibiting a solid and broad range of knowledge and skills utilized to provide in-depth/comprehensive support in the relevant subject matters.
Skills/Knowledge:
Essential: Health financing, specifically on public financial management, health accounts, primary healthcare financing, and donor transition.
Desirable: Health economics more broadly, including its application to other health systems building blocks such as health workforce, etc. and other economic issues.
Languages and level required:
Essential: Expert knowledge of English (reading, writing, and speaking).
Location
On site for insurance purposes: The Consultant is expected to travel to Papua New Guinea, Malaysia, the Philippines, the Solomon Islands, Fiji, Mongolia, Cambodia, Lao PDR, etc. during the contract upon request.
The consultant will primarily provide technical support remotely, with physical in-country missions upon request.
Travel
Duty travel to selected countries in the Western Pacific Region are expected during the contractual period when required.
Expected mission to Malaysia (TBC) will take place in June/July, for one week.
Remuneration and budget
Remuneration: Payband level C – USD 510.00 (daily)
Expected duration of contract: 11 months, February to December 2025 (part-time)
Additional Information:
• This vacancy notice may be used to identify candidates for other similar consultancies at the same level.
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