Health Officer (Digital Health)

Mission and objectives

The World Health Organization (WHO) was established on 7 April 1948 as the directing and coordinating authority in global public health within the United Nations system. Working at three levels in the Organization (global, regional and country), more than 7000 WHO staff worldwide collaborate with the governments of 194 Member States and other partners to achieve the WHO founding vision of the attainment of the highest possible level of health by all people.

The WHO Western Pacific Region is home to more than one quarter of the world’s population, stretching over more than one third of the distance around the globe. In all, more than 600 WHO staff work in 15 country offices and the Regional Office in Manila, Philippines, to support Member States in achieving better health outcomes for the Region’s nearly 1.9 billion people in 37 countries and areas.

WHO presence in Viet Nam

Viet Nam has been a WHO Member State since 17 May 1950. WHO was one of the first United Nations agencies to support the Vietnamese health sector directly since the end of the war and reunification of the country. WHO established a country office in Hanoi in 1977 and a sub-office in Ho Chi Minh City in 2003. More than 50 WHO staff in the country office have played a central role in supporting the people and the Government of Viet Nam to improve health. The mission of WHO in Viet Nam is to support the Government to achieve universal health coverage with all people having access to high-quality health services, within the context of the country’s needs and challenges in transitioning to middle-income status.

The Government of Viet Nam and the United Nations agencies, including WHO, adopted the Delivering as One principle and committed to the One United Nations initiative in Viet Nam in 2006. In July 2017, they jointly launched the One Strategic Plan 2017–2021, which identified focus areas and outcomes for the United Nations interventions in Viet Nam.

Context

As Viet Nam is facing rapid economic development, increasing non-communicable disease burden, and aging society, the changes in health needs call for changes in the health system, including strengthening an integrated service delivery system especially at the grassroots health care level. More specifically, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) account for nearly 80% of total mortality in Viet Nam. The majority of patients are neither diagnosed nor treated. One of the causes of this problem is that the NCDs management is hardly available at grassroots health care networks (District Health Centers and Commune Health Stations). Challenges in access to quality grassroots health care also exist for maternal and child health services and other essential health services, which contribute to inequities in health outcomes.

In 2017, the 12th Central Committee of the Communist Party of Viet Nam adopted Resolution No. 20 on the protection, care and improvement of people’s health in the new situation. It set an ambitious that up to 95% of CHSs, by the year 2025, will implement prevention and management of some common NCDs (hypertension and diabetes). In 2023, the Central Party Secretariat also issued Directive No. 25 and National Assembly issued Resolution No. 99 on the strengthening of the grassroots health care system.

It is a top priority of the WHO Representative Office in Viet Nam to support the health sector in Viet Nam in building a strong grassroots health care system capable to meet the essentials need of all people, through their life course, especially in responding to NCDs, older populations, and improve the quality of care through an integrated, people-centered approach to deliver essential health services.

Task description

Under the guidance of the WHO Representative and the Coordinator, Universal Health Coverage and Disease Control Team, the UN Volunteer reports to and work together with the NCDs responsible officer(s), in a close working relationship with relevant professional and administrative staff in WHO Viet Nam and WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific to perform the following tasks;

Support Universal Health Coverage-Disease Control (UHC-DC) team in reviewing policy and program documents on grassroots health care system and quality of care
Support UHC-DC team in implementation of integrated service delivery models in selected provinces
Assist NCDs responsible officer(s) to support the Ministry of Health in advocacy and revising/developing guidelines, protocols and regulations for NCD management at primary care.
Assist NCDs responsible officer(s) to support the Ministry of Health in strengthening grass root health care network by building NCD management capacity at commune health station and Monitoring and Evaluating the intervention programmes focusing on integrated service delivery that NCD management included.
Assist NCDs responsible officer(s) to support strengthening the Online NCD Reporting System including working with different stakeholders such as National Center for Health Information and Viet Nam Social Security.
Assist MCH technical officer to support MOH and relevant partners in improving quality of maternal, newborn and child health care
Provide assistance in nutrition intervention by MOH and WHO, including but not only limited to nutrition labelling and front-of-pack labelling, maternal and child nutrition, in collaboration with other counterparts.
When needed, provide Vietnamese-English (and vice versa) translation support during meetings with Ministry of Health counterparts and partners; and translation of short documents related to NCD management and salt reduction campaign.
Perform other duties as requested/required by the WHO Viet Nam office.

Furthermore, UN Volunteers are encouraged to integrate the UN Volunteers programme mandate within their assignment and promote voluntary action through engagement with communities in the course of their work. As such, UN Volunteers should dedicate a part of their working time to some of the following suggested activities:

Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading relevant UNV and external publications and take active part in UNV activities (for instance in events that mark International Volunteer Day);
Be acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms of volunteerism in the host country;
Provide annual and end of assignment self- reports on UN Volunteer actions, results and opportunities.
Contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNV publications/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc.;
Assist with the UNV Buddy Programme for newly-arrived UN Volunteers;
Promote or advise local groups in the use of online volunteering or encourage relevant local individuals and organizations to use the UNV Online Volunteering service whenever technically possible.

Results/expected outputs

As a WHO Vietnam Office’s team member together with the Technical Officers in charge, the encumberment is expected to provide proactive, efficient, timely, responsive, client-friendly, and high-quality support to WHO Viet Nam Office to get the following results/outputs:

Support provided for MOH to revise/develop the indicators for monitoring, regulations and guidelines for overcoming barriers and quality improvement on NCD management and maternal and child health care.
Supported implementing integrated service delivery models, including quality improvement and M&E of hypertension management in demonstration sites of Viet Nam.
New or innovative applications of NCD management, such as in reporting, training and self-management, promoted.
Provided assistance to health care workers with the utilization of the Online NCD Reporting System.

Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD) perspective is systematically applied, integrated and documented in all activities throughout the assignment.

A final statement of achievements towards volunteerism for peace and development during the assignment, such as reporting on the number of volunteers mobilized, activities participated in and capacities developed.

Languages: English, Level: Fluent, Required Vietnamese, Level: Fluent, Required

Required education level: Bachelor degree or equivalent in Health. Having the degree in either Medicine or Preventive Medicine is preferable.

Required experience: 3 years of experience in public health area including working with various stakeholders, monitoring progress of health programmes and organizing workshops/trainings.

Experience on health care service delivery, including NCD management at primary care.
Experience in working with Ministry of Health, Public Health Institutes and local health authorities.
Excellent oral and written skills; excellent drafting, formulation, reporting skills;
Accuracy and professionalism in document production and editing;
Excellent interpersonal skills; culturally and socially sensitive; ability to work inclusively and collaboratively with a range of partners;
Familiarity with tools and approaches of communications for development;
Ability to work and adapt professionally and effectively in a challenging environment; ability to work effectively in a multicultural team of international and national personnel;
Solid overall computer literacy, including proficiency in various MS Office applications (Excel, Word, etc.) and email/internet; mobile applications and social media tools; familiarity with database management; and office technology equipment;
Self-motivated, ability to work with minimum supervision; ability to work with tight deadlines;
Sound security awareness;
Have affinity with or interest in the mission of promoting the UN Sustainable Development Goals especially the goal on Universal Health Coverage (UHC), volunteerism as a mechanism for durable development, and the UN System.