Secours Islamique France has flagged the Pakistan Programs Coordinator M/F - Pakistan job as unavailable. Let’s keep looking.

Consultant - Value for Money for Tuberculosis Program - Pakistan

Mercy Corps

Description

Background:

Mercy Corps is a leading global organization powered by the belief that a better world is possible. In disaster, in hardship, in more than 40 countries around the world, we partner to put bold solutions into action — helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from within.

Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the major public health issues in Pakistan, with an incidence of 259 per 100,000 population. Pakistan is ranked fifth among 30 TB high-burden countries worldwide. Mercy Corps Pakistan is contributing to overall TB case notification by reporting 452,564 all forms TB cases from July 2021 – December 2023, which makes it a 30% contribution in national case notification for the same period. These targets will be achieved by carrying out the following key strategic interventions across Pakistan:

a. Strengthen and scale-up of quality TB diagnosis and treatment through a public-private mix (PPM) approach by engaging general practitioners, large private hospitals, parastatal hospitals and private laboratories across Pakistan:

  • Strengthen TB case finding by engaging 14,840 private healthcare providers (general practitioners), 841 private laboratories and 12,500 pharmacies in 111 districts, 309 large private hospitals in 76 districts and 28 parastatal hospitals in 21 districts
  • Map and train selected private healthcare providers (general practitioners and laboratories) and paramedics on TB DOTS as per National Guidelines
  • Train the focal persons of private pharmacies on the identification and referral of TB presumptive cases
  • Conduct meetings with area notables for community mobilization and awareness-raising
  • Organize conventional chest camps in 17 districts and mobile X-ray screening chest camps in 101 districts to ensure active case finding in high-risk and vulnerable populations
  • Incentivize private healthcare providers (private practitioners and laboratories) to encourage their participation as well as to reduce the out-of-pocket expenses of TB patients
  • Carry out monitoring at national, provincial and district levels by principal recipient and public sector representatives to provide on-site technical support and assess the quality of services provided by participating private healthcare providers (private practitioners and laboratories) and hospitals
  • Ensure External Quarterly Assurance (EQA) of all participating private laboratories as per national standards
  • Conduct district level quarterly review meetings (QRM) for data validation of PPM
  • Promote NTP logo as a brand of quality TB care

b. Contribute in enhancing RR cases notification through mobile and static GeneXpert sites

Through GeneXpert machines (both stationary and in mobile vans) RR cases will be notified during the Implementation Period. All the pulmonary TB cases, re-treatment cases and patients belonging to high-risk groups (HIV positive, contacts of DR-TB, health care workers, immunocompromised patients) presenting to these sites will undergo GeneXpert testing as per NTP guidelines. In addition, all the specimen samples from chest camps and specimen transportation intervention will be transported to Xpert sites to enhance the utilization of Xpert testing and improve bac positivity.

c. A rider-based specimen transport mechanism through the involvement of community volunteers in 71 selected districts across the country. This mechanism will help in:

  • Early diagnosis in areas where TB diagnostic services are not readily available
  • Increased access to quality TB diagnosis
  • Enhanced DR TB case notification by providing access to gene Xpert testing sites
  • Increased percentage of bacteriologically confirmed TB cases among pulmonary TB cases

d. Contribute towards achieving the target of latent TB infection by putting contacts of TB patients (children and adults) on preventive treatment

The contacts of index cases, including children and adults, will be screened through clinical assessments and chest X-rays to exclude active TB and start preventive treatment as per national LTBI policy guidelines.

All the above activities will contribute towards the achievement of target cases and percent contribution to the national data in the 111 program districts.

e. Target Group/Beneficiaries

The target group includes all members of the Pakistani population, all refugees living in Pakistan having a legal status and all those who travel to Pakistan on legal documents to get treatment and are vulnerable to TB. These beneficiaries include children, women and men, including all other marginalized and vulnerable groups of society.

Purpose / Project Description:

There are two key objectives of conducting this study:

  1. Make a cost comparison between the previous (NFM II) and current grant (NFM III) i.e. prior and after the interventions scale up. The findings of the study will help in looking at the per patient cost of different components of TB Program with increase in scale and scope as well as in deciding on further scaling up/modification of the interventions/components.
  2. Make a cost comparison of Specimen Transportation and Active Case Finding components between public and private sectors to access the value for money of different models for same interventions, being implemented by public and private sectors in Punjab province.

Consultant Objectives:

The specific objectives of this analysis are as follows:

  1. To assess the cost and design, efficiency, effectiveness and equity of different components of TB Program, prior and after the scale up and between private and public sectors
  2. To increase TB Program team’s understanding of VfM analyses and their use.
  3. To contribute to the sector wide evidence base for cost efficiency in TB Programming
  4. To provide with data around VfM for advocating with donors and/ or other internal/ external stakeholders and/ or designing future interventions.

The study will focus on the following key questions:

  • Cost and design: what are the cost drivers of the program/components? How are they affected by the program design with respect to equity?
  • Efficiency and cost-efficiency: Have the resources been allocated equitably to marginalized individuals/groups and intended target? What is the cost-efficiency performance of different components of TB program
  • Effectiveness: Has the program/components achieved the intended outcome(s)?
  • VfM: How can MC and other stakeholders use VfM data to understand how to efficiently and effectively allocate resources?

Study method - VfM analysis methodology and metrics

The study will use the VfM framework developed by Mercy Corps, which comprises a theoretical VfM model (based on FCDO’s 4E’s), metrics and cost analysis method (e.g. defined cost categories). The framework is based on FCDO’s 4E’s of Economy, Efficiency, Effectiveness and Equity. The analysis uses the Dioptra cost analysis method as the backbone to classify costs and a series of metrics to assess the VfM of the program. No additional data collection is expected beyond interviews with staff members of MC and PTP Punjab. The consultant is expected to use Dioptra for cost analysis and training will be provided by Mercy Corps staff. The method includes suggested metrics, and this consultancy may add new metrics in the analysis if deemed necessary. The analysis will explore the following aspects:

  • Costs and design - Identifying the makeup of the cost allocation across cost categories and among different components of TB program in order to identify cost drivers. This will include considerations around the program design and how the targeting of marginalized groups has contributed towards cost allocation.

Suggested metric: cost of a category as % of the total cost.

  • Efficiency - Quantifying the delivery of services to participants and the cost of adopting an equitable reach.

Suggested metrics: cost per dollar transferred; cost per person reached through; cost per marginalized person reached through the program (if the budget breakdown allows).

  • Effectiveness - Quantifying the achievement of the project results, including outcomes addressing structural barriers, and the likelihood that the results are sustained over-time.

Suggested metrics: percentage of actual/ targets met for ouput-level indicators; cost per output unit (to identify based on the logframe); percentage of actual/target met of output indicators addressing identified barriers and imbalances.

Consultant Activities:

The Consultant will:

  1. Participate in 2 days orientation session organized by Mercy Corps online to understand the objective and scope of the assignment
  2. Conduct desk review and refine the methodology according to the program requirements (3 days)
  3. Conduct the cost analysis and VfM as per the agreed objectives (10 days)
  4. Develop analysis report document (5 days)
  5. Conduct a session with Mercy Corps team and other stakeholders to disseminate findings of VfM analysis and potential use for decision making (1 day)

Consultant Deliverables:

The assignment will lead to the following deliverables:

1. VfM report and summary 

Pilot report outline (up to 15 pages):

  1. Background and program documentation review
  2. Methodology
  3. Results
  4. Implications

An example of what the final product may look like can be found here.

2. Presentation: A presentation of the main results

Timeframe / Schedule:

  1. SoW shared – February 6th
  2. Consultant contracted – Feb 17th
  3. Orientation, review and methodology consolidation – Feb 24th
  4. Analysis – March 6th
  5. Report writing – March 9th
  6. Feedback – March 15th
  7. Dissemination – March 20th

The Consultant will report to:

Aamna Rashid, Senior Program Manager, TB Program

The Consultant will work closely with:

MEL Manager, Manager M&E and Data Management, Senior Technical Advisor Health

Required Experience & Skills:

  • 5-10 years of experience in relevant technical field (required)
  • MSc, PhD, or a strong academic background in economics
  • At least 5 years of prior experience in at least one of the following: value for money, cost efficiency, cost effectiveness and/or cost benefit
  • Proven experience in analyzing and writing similar reports
  • Open to learn a new software solution for cost analysis
  • Fluency in English

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Achieving our mission begins with how we build our team and work together. Through our commitment to enriching our organization with people of different origins, beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of thinking, we are better able to leverage the collective power of our teams and solve the world’s most complex challenges. We strive for a culture of trust and respect, where everyone contributes their perspectives and authentic selves, reaches their potential as individuals and teams, and collaborates to do the best work of their lives. 

We recognize that diversity and inclusion is a journey, and we are committed to learning, listening and evolving to become more diverse, equitable and inclusive than we are today.

Equal Employment Opportunity

We are committed to providing an environment of respect and psychological safety where equal employment opportunities are available to all. We do not engage in or tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability (including HIV/AIDS status), marital status, military veteran status or any other protected group in the locations where we work.

Safeguarding & Ethics

Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our stakeholders and to international standards guiding international relief and development work, while actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects. Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and MC's policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.

Read Full Description
Confirmed 24 minutes ago. Posted 30+ days ago.

Discover Similar Jobs

Suggested Articles