Consultant (#VN050) (WHO)

National Short-term Consultant to develop an assessment report on response to communicable diseases (CDs) in the workplace and a draft plan on prevention and response to CDs in the workplace for Viet Nam

1. Background:

Recently, environmental pollution, climate change, natural disasters, floods, storms, urbanization and increased migration are favourable conditions for communicable diseases to appear, spread and break out in the community including the workplace. Viet Nam has just gone through a complicated and difficult COVID-19 outbreak situation, with a cumulative number of cases reported of more than 11,526,799 including around 43,000 deaths. Although COVID-19 is no longer a public health emergency of international concern, it does not mean that the disease is no longer a global threat and countries must always be vigilant and ready to calibrate their epidemic prevention and response measures.

Practical lessons on COVID-19 prevention and control in the period from 2020-2022 show that most of labour establishments did not have disease prevention plans in their workplaces and were very confused and passive when epidemics occur. Thus, guiding the labour establishments to develop an epidemic prevention plan in the workplace is very necessary and important. It helps labour establishments to be proactive in prevention and response of communicable diseases as well as other epidemics in the workplace in future.

Therefore, Viet Nam Health Environment Management Agency (VIHEMA) requested the WHO to support recruitment of a national expert to coordinate with VIHEMA to assess the current situation of response to communicable diseases in the workplace and to develop a draft plan for prevention and response to communicable diseases in the workplace (with focus on factories, enterprises and industrial zones where there are high number and density of workers) in Viet Nam.

2. Planned timelines:

Start date: 9 October 2023 (subject to confirmation)
End date: 31 December 2023
Number of working days as a consultant: 54 non-consecutive working days

3. Work to be performed:

Purpose of the consultancy: To develop an assessment report on response to communicable diseases (CDs) in the workplace and a draft plan on prevention and response to CDs in the workplace for Viet Nam

The consultant is expected to carry out the following tasks:

Conduct a literature review from national and international resources on prevention and response to communicable diseases in the workplace: human resources, equipment, infrastructure, and financing for OHS and disease prevention etc.;
Develop a detailed plan for assessment of response to communicable diseases in the workplace, including i) Assessment methodology; ii) Sampling; iii) Data collection tools;
Coordinate with VIHEMA to organize field trips to collect data in two provinces (Bac Ninh and Bac Giang which are big industrial zones in the North of Viet Nam);
Coordinate with VIHEMA to collect data on actual situation of prevention and response to communicable diseases in the workplace from 63 provinces/cities:
- Contact Department of Health (DoH) of 63 provinces/cities to guide how to select enterprises for the assessment;
- Guide DoHs on the data collection process: DoHs will send the questionnaires to the health officers at enterprises, who will fill in the questionnaires and return hard copy or electronic copy to DoHs. DoHs will collect data and send to VIHEMA.
Perform data entry and analysis;
Develop a report on assessment of response to communicable diseases in the workplace;
Develop a draft plan on prevention and response to communicable diseases (including preparedness, readiness, and response to communicable diseases) in the workplace for Viet Nam.

Expected output/s

Output 1: Development of an assessment report on response to communicable diseases in the workplace.

Deliverable 1.1: A detailed outline for assessment of response to communicable diseases in workplace and data collection tools (by 20 October 2023)
Deliverable 1.2: A draft assessment report on response to communicable diseases in the workplace (by 1 December 2023)
Deliverable 1.3: The final assessment report on response to communicable diseases in the workplace to be approved by VIHEMA/MOH (by 15 December 2023)

Output 2: Development of a draft plan for prevention and response to communicable diseases in the workplace for Viet Nam.

Deliverable 2.1: A draft plan for prevention and response to communicable diseases (including preparedness, readiness, and response to communicable diseases) in the workplace for Viet Nam to be developed and submitted to VIHEMA/MOH for approval (by 30 December 2023)

4. Specific requirements

Educational

Essential requirements:

A postgraduate degree in occupational health, public health, or other relevant areas from a recognized university.

Desirable requirements:

A PhD degree in occupational health, public health, or other relevant areas from a recognized university.

Experience

Essential requirements:

Minimum 10 years’ experience in the field of OHS or public health;
Experienced in assessment in occupational health and safety;
Experienced in supporting prevention and control of communicable diseases;
Experienced in developing laws and policies, strategic plans and guidelines; and
Having good understanding of the OHS system and experienced in working with factories, enterprises, and workers.

Desirable requirements: