Call for Expressions of Interest and Proposal

VN055 – The Special Service Agreement (SSA) holder will work directly with the VAMS and WHO Viet Nam to perform COVID-19 response-related activities, focusing on IPC.

1. Background:

Viet Nam has been experiencing the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic since 27 April 2021. The pandemic has caused such an extreme impact on public health. The health sector, especially in the southern provinces have suffered from the overwhelmed situation. Thousands of health care workers, voluntaries have been mobilized to support the provinces affected by the pandemic.

Viet Nam Administration of Medical Service (VAMS) plays an essential role in ensuring the readiness of the entire health care service system in receiving, diagnosis and treatment for COVID-19 patients, as well as, containing the COVID-19 pandemic in the health care setting, and protecting of health care workers from COVID-19. All staff of VAMS have been deployed and asked focus for response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The staff have been overloaded and exhausted after a long time of continuing fighting against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) unit under VAMS plays a key role in coordination and facilitating the implementation of activities related to IPC and nursing care as a part of care partway of the health care facilities and hospitals in response to COVID-19. The IPC unit is also responsible for supporting development of policy and national guidelines, document related to IPC, protection of health care workers, protection of safety of health care facilities and hospitals in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. In addition, the IPC unit is responsible for training, monitoring, evaluating of implementing IPC policies and guidelines on COVID-19 response at operational levels in HCFs and hospitals.

VAMS has been facing a shortage of human resources, especially for IPC. Additionally, some staff who are key to support for IPC and care pathway of VAMS have already left the service. This is the time coming to the end of the year and remaining routine and planned work must be urgently completed. In order to address the shortage of human resources of IPC unit of VAMS, as well as to ensure maintaining the quality response to COVID-19 in areas of IPC, VAMS has requested WHO to support a local consultant (SSA) on IPC. The SSA will focus on support routine work of VAMS on IPC especially related to COVID-19; support VAMS in development and update of the national technical guidelines, SOPs, facilitating, coordination with partners in conducting trainings on IPC, and M&E of activities related to IPC of health care facilities in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.

2. Work to be performed

The SSA will provide VAMS with TA to achieve following:

- Support VAMS in the development of policy, strategy and the national technical guidelines on IPC related to the COVID-19 response

- Support VAMS in development of plan, and implementing activities on IPC for response to COVID-19

- Assist coordination between VAMS and international partners or relevant departments on IPC - Support implementing routine activities of the IPC and nursing care unit at VAMS with focus on COVID-19 response

- Support supervision, M&E, and regular update on IPC in HCFs related to COVID19

Specific tasks:

Under guidance and direction from VAMS leaders, head of the IPC unit, the SSA will be:

- Providing administrative support to the IPC unit in conducting routine day-to day work related to care pathway in COVID-19 response

- Assisting VAMS in preparing policy brief related to IPC in COVID-19 response - Supporting VAMS in updating and developing guidelines on IPC in COVID-19 response

- Support development of training materials and facilitating training on IPC for COVID-19

- Support VAMS team in supervision, monitoring of implementing activities on IPC at hospitals and health care facilities

- Support the VAMS in collaboration with WHO in preparation for DFC, implementing the DFC and completion of the DC reports

- Facilitating collaboration on nursing activities between WHO and the MoH

3. The main methods to carry out this activity will be:

- Consultation in person with WHO responsible officer(s), VAMS officer(s), leaders and relevant MoH and government departments/institutes/hospitals and other Ministries, as well as development partners.

- Communication between the VAMS, relevant departments of MoH, relevant Ministries, international partners, hospitals, and WHO on IPC and COVID-19

- Under guidance and direction above, drafting of the agendas, concept notes, for meetings/workshops to submit VAMS leaders -

Under guidance and direction above, supporting M&E activities to ensure implementing nursing care and IPC activities

- Supporting administrative, financial and logistics arrangement and DFC and proposal of VAMS related to nursing care, and care pathway in COVID-19 response as requested by above mentioned colleagues and leaders.

- Supporting completion of reports timely, including DFC reports with WHO - Submit a monthly report and an end of contract report to WHO

4. Planned timelines (subject to confirmation)

Start date: 1 Jan 2022
End Date: 31 Dec 2022

5. Specific requirements

a. Education

- Required: First university degree in medicine, public health or related area

- Desirables: Master’s degree in medicine or public health

b. Experience required

- Essential: At least 5 years’ experience working in the field of medicine including IPC, and/ or public health with the Government and a wide range of national stakeholders and development partners

- Desirable: Experience working with the Ministry of Health, hospitals, health training institutes of health development partners

c. Skills - Excellent om communications (both written and oral).

- Well-developed IT capacity and familiarity with website software, the Microsoft Office Package

d. Language

- Essential: expert level in Vietnamese (both written and oral) and proficiency in English. Ability of translation/interpretation is an asset

e. Competencies

- Communication in a credible and effective way

- Result-based management

- Fostering integration and teamwork

- Ability to adapt to diverse cultural and educational backgrounds

6. Place of assignment

The SSA holder will be working in the VAMS office/ MoH in Hanoi.