Results for Development (R4D) is a leading non-profit global development partner. We collaborate with change agents around the world — government officials, civil society leaders and social innovators — to create strong systems that support healthy, educated people. We help our partners move from knowing their goal to knowing how to reach it. We combine global expertise in health, education and nutrition with analytic rigor, practical support for decision-making and implementation and access to peer problem-solving networks. Together with our partners, we build self-sustaining systems that serve everyone and deliver lasting results. Then we share what we learn so others can achieve results for development, too.
We have a unique and vibrant culture at R4D. Diversity, equity and inclusion are at the heart of our work environment and help advance our mission. Diversity—of ideas, identities, perspectives and backgrounds—is vital to who we are and what we do. We seek people who embrace these values and will help reinforce them. Our work culture is collaborative, creative and entrepreneurial. We operate based on trust and respect. Teams across the organization frequently collaborate on programmatic work and support each other in continuously building a better R4D.
Objective: Support the development of an intervention to improve private provider adherence to integrated management of childhood illnesses (IMCI)
Project Background and Goals
Frontier Health Markets Engage (FHM Engage) is a global cooperative agreement to provide technical assistance (TA) supporting local actors to improve the ability of health markets to meet supply-side capacity gaps and consumer preferences, contributing to equitable provision of and access to high-quality health services and products in mixed health systems. In Tanzania, FHM Engage is implementing market-based activities that will use a market development approach (MDA) to guide its work for the next five years. A central tenet of MDA is convening different actors and working with them to co-create interventions that address challenges current markets. To date, both public and private sector market actors have welcomed this approach. In Year 2, FHM Engage will begin testing and validating multi-year interventions across the core child health market functions of demand and supply for several priority health products and services. A part of this effort will focus on developing solutions to improve the quality of child health services delivered in private sector settings, in particular the use of and adherence to IMCI protocols and algorithms. Before intervening, FHM Engage will diagnose the root causes of market underperformance and then co-design potential solutions with market actors.
Consultant Role/Tasks and Scope of Services
The Consultant will work with the FHM Engage Tanzania team, public and private child health stakeholders, and FHM Engage consortium partners to develop an IMCI-focused quality-of-care intervention that can be implemented in private sector settings. The consultant will assess IMCI readiness in a small set of faith-based facilities and lead a co-creation workshop with market actors to identify and refine intervention options and then develop an intervention implementation plan in coordination with FHM Engage staff and partners.
Task 1 - Desk review on evidence on IMCI challenges and conduct IMCI-readiness assessment in 20 private sector facilities: The consultant will conduct a desk review of existing assessments and analyses related to IMCI in Tanzania (including market description and stakeholder consultations conducted by FHM Engage) and identify quality improvement systems to enhance the quality of child health services, particularly adherence to IMCI protocols (e.g., internal and/or network systems used by private or faith-based facility networks (CSSC, ELCT, PRINMAT, etc.) and the Ministry of Health “5 Star System”). Based on this review, the consultant will design and execute an assessment of 20 CSSC network facilities to examine their capacity to provide quality child health services, including a mapping of referrals, existing quality assurance /quality improvement (QA/QI) mechanisms, and awareness/implementation of IMCI algorithms and tools. This assessment must be planned and executed in coordination with FHM Engage and CSSC staff.
Task 2 - IMCI Intervention Design Workshop: The consultant will plan and coordinate a co-design workshop with a wide range of local market actors (i.e., relevant TWG members, business associations, professional associations, and FBOs, health non-governmental organization (NGOs)) to identify and consider intervention options to improve the quality of child health services in the private sector.
The goal of this workshop will be to review existing evidence on IMCI barriers and challenges (including results from the CSSC facility assessment in Task 1) and identify what intervention(s) could be implemented to improve the quality of care for child health services and identify formative research needs, lean experiments and/or studies that could be integrated into the implementation of these interventions to facilitate adaptive learning/management. The consultant will lead the set-up of the workshop, and work with FHM Tanzania team on the design and delivery of workshop activities. After the completion of the workshop the consultant will create a power point presentation summarizing the different intervention options identified during the workshop. Estimated timeframe for co-design workshop:
Task 3 - IMCI Intervention Design and Implementation Plan: Following the co-design workshop, the consultant continue will work with the FHM Engage Tanzania team to select and further develop an intervention that could be feasibly implemented in selected facilities. During this phase of the work, the consultant will identify resource needs for the intervention and coordinate closely with members of the FHM Engage Monitoring Evaluation and Learning (MEAL) Team, who will be responsible for developing and implementing a monitoring and evaluation plan for the intervention. The MEAL effort will use a separate funding source to evaluate the intervention and build evidence on what works for improving IMCI adherence in the private sector. During this phase consultant will also coach members of the FHM Engage Tanzania team to prepare them to launch and implement the intervention. Estimated timeframe for Task 3:
Deliverables / Assumed Level of Effort (LOE)
- Tasks
-
Task 1 - Review existing evidence on IMCI challenges and conduct IMCI-readiness assessment in 20 private sector facilities· Design and conduct a health facility assessment of 20 CSSC facilities
- Report on the barriers and opportunities to improve quality of child health services in CSSC facilities, with particular attention to adherence to IMCI protocols
- Assumed days needed - 15
- Task 2 – Co-creation workshop with child health market actors
- Plan and execute co-creation workshop with an appropriate variety of child health market actors
- Summary presentation of intervention options identified during the workshop
- Assumed days needed - 5
- Task 3 – Intervention Design and Implementation Plan
- Coordination with FHM Engage, CSSC, and USAID to agree on an intervention concept
- Intervention implementation plan, outlining the key interventions that will be tested in 20 CSSC facilities to improve adherence of IMCI
- Assumed days needed - 5
- Total Days - 25
Expected Deliverable (s)
- Report on health facility assessment
- Report on the barriers and opportunities to improve the quality of child health services in CSSC facilities, with particular attention to adherence to IMCI protocols
- Summary presentation of intervention options identified during the workshop including the implementation plan
Consultant Qualifications and Background:
- Based in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and with the ability to travel within the country
- Degree in public health, medicine, or nursing
- At least 15 years of experience in the health sector with a specific focus on supporting quality assurance/quality improvement of child health services
- Previous experience with intervention co-design processes required.
- Experience working with private sector providers desirable
- Experience working in USAID projects desirable
Duration of Assignment
- This assignment is expected to be completed in 25 days of LOE between February 2023 (or as soon as the consultant is onboarded) and April 30, 2023
Location of Assignment
- Travel within Tanzania is expected. Other work can be completed remotely.
Supervision of Consultant
- The Tanzania Integrated Management of Childhood Illnesses (IMCI) Consultant will report to FHM Engage Tanzania COP and will work closely with the Senior Technical Advisor, Services. The consultant will work in collaboration with several team members including the Technical Director and IMCI/MEL Technical Advisors. A high level of interaction with USAID AOR and Mission team is expected.
Submission
- Please submit your CV and requested rate of pay to Farhan Yusuf – fyusuf@r4d.org by Friday, 24th February 2023.
Results for Development is an EOE/M/F/Vet/Disabled/Affirmative Action Employer committed to fostering
and nurturing an energetic, collaborative and diverse workforce. R4D provides market-competitive salaries and comprehensive employee benefits.
