State Level Consultants at the U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention (USP)

Contract Type: Fixed Price

Background

• Nigeria is a low-middle income country that is faced with a high disease burden coupled with inadequate resources (financial, human, health facilities). Due to the weak public health system, a good proportion of Nigerians, especially in rural and low- income communities, buy medicines and other health products and access care at privately-owned medicines and other health products retail outlets, such as community pharmacies (CPs) and patent medicines shops (PMSs).
• A robust regulatory and quality assurance system is needed to ensure the right quality assured medicines and other medical products are available and affordable in Nigeria. Thus, strengthening these systems will mean better health care delivery at all health care level including retail outlets.
• The Promoting the Quality of Medicines Plus (PQM+) program, funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), implemented by the U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention (USP). PQM+ has a goal to sustainably strengthen medical product quality assurance (QA) systems in low- and middle-income countries, including Nigeria.

Key Role

• The state level regulatory and quality assurance systems strengthening work is currently focused in three states of Nigeria namely: Bauchi, Ebonyi and Sokoto. The expected outcome for this activity is similar in all the states.
• The state level consultants working under the supervision of the technical lead will possess the required experiences and skills to support and implement activities in their respective states and as assigned.
• The state level consultants will work closely with Pharmacists Council of Nigeria and other stakeholders at the state level. They will facilitate the work at the state level.

Key Responsibilities

• Work under the supervision of the state level activity technical lead to strengthen the regulatory and quality assurance systems
• Serve as Point of contact for PQM+ program at state level
• Represent PQM+ at the state level as directed by the state level activity technical lead
• Mobilize community pharmacies and patent medicines shops and their operators to participate in agreed activities
• Participate in outlined activities to enhance the quality of medical products, practice, premises / shops, and services offered
• Implement agreed task at state level to improve the regulatory and quality assurance systems (RQAS)
• Engage key state level actors in the medical products regulatory and quality assurance system sector paying close attention to retail aspect
• Collect data and information required for an in-depth undrstanding of the strength, gaps, weakness and opportunities in the retail medical products space
• Follow up with the states on agreed action plans, activities or decision
• Attend meetings requiring their presence
• Prepare details reports of activities conducted
• Perform any other duty assigned.

PQM+ Nigeria Expectations and Deliverables:

• Weekly and monthly reports showing activity implementation and status
• Meeting notes and training reports or any other report assigned by technical lead
• Technical reports and papers for publication in reputable journals assigned by technical leads.

Measurements / MEL Indicators Sub Recipient Will Report Against:

• Collect data for MEL indicators from activities implemented with the state level inspectors, community pharmacy and patent medicines vendors, other stakeholders on retail regulatory and quality assurance systems.

Country work is expected to be carried out:

• Nigeria

Basic Qualifications

• Must be resident in either Sokoto, Ebonyi or Bauchi state or willing to work in these states.
• Not less than 5 years work experience with private sector or pharmaceutical supply management.
• Work experience with NGO will be an advantage
• Ability to speak the local dialect fluently is preferable
• Bachelor of Pharmacy, master preferable.