Senior Consultant at Marie Stopes

Background

The recently approved task shifting/task sharing policy is one of the strategies for accelerating the progress towards achievements of the health SDGs goals. The policy focuses on key priority areas such as Reproductive, Maternal Newborn and Child Health services (RMNCH), as well as HIV, TB, Malaria and other communicable and non-communicable diseases in the Essential health services package. The Federal Government of Nigeria (FGON) recognizes the importance of family planning as a key factor in the achievement of the health related Millennium Development Goals (MDGs 4, 5 & 6). In addition to ensuring availability of free and quality contraceptives, health workers need current information and skills to facilitate provision of quality family planning services, including long acting reversible contraceptive methods (LARC). These methods, which include implants and intrauterine devices (IUDs), have historically been underutilized, largely due to limited availability and low coverage of trained providers. It is in response to this that the approved task shifting/task sharing policy allows Community health extension workers (CHEW) to provide the Long acting reversible contraceptive (LARC) services as one of the methods of family planning.

As part of implementation planning for the policy, it is necessary to review the pre service curriculum of CHEWs to include training on LARC. This is a cost effective way of building skills of CHEWS on the provision of LARC services.

The Federal ministry of health (FMOH) in collaboration with Marie Stopes International Organization of Nigeria (MSION) therefore requires the services of a senior consultant to lead in the review of the current pre service training curriculum of CHEWs to include training on LARCs. The consultants will be experienced in family planning, curriculum development public health and health system management.

Scope of Work
The key deliverable is a draft revised pre service curriculum for CHEWs.

Key Deliverables/Responsibilities of the Consultant:
The Consultant will be engaged to lead in:

• Collating and cataloguing existing simplified curricula that have been used to train CHEWs on LARC in Nigeria and other countries
• Adapt and simplify content from the National LARC training curriculum to develop the CHEWs pre service curricular.
• Modify technical details for ease of understanding by CHEWs
• Present the 1st draft of the revised CHEWs pre service curriculum to stakeholders for review and feedback
• Collaborate with the junior and other consultants that provide technical assistance to the process
• At the cost of MSION, within the period, the consultant is also expected to participate in:
• Three days Key stakeholders meeting to present draft revised curriculum
• Any other relevant meeting FMoH may call with respect to the consultancy

Requirements:

The consultant is required to have the following;

• The family planning expert Must be a consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist with extensive experience in family planning practice and curricular development.
• The public health physician must have Extensive experience in health system management. A good public health working experience in the tropics is required.
• Experience working on National documents is an added advantage for the consultant
• Ability to work in a short time frame: being Self-driven and creative are also added advantages for the consultants.

Duration:
The services of the Consultant will be required for the duration of 30 days.

Budget and Payment Schedule:
The Senior Consultant will be paid at a daily rate of N65, 000 for 30 days. Travel and daily subsistence costs where necessary will be provided at the subsisting rates of MSION.

Payment for services delivered will be disbursed according to the following schedule:

i. 50% payment upon completion of first draft of the revised CHEWs pre service curriculum

50% upon completion after review and signed of by the Federal Ministry of Health

The consultant will report to MSION through the Head, Reproductive Health Division (RHD), at the Federal Ministry of Health and must have signed off on all deliverables before the Head RHD FMOH will adjudge the assignment as completed.