STC on Human Resouces for Health

1. Background:

Over the past two decades Viet Nam has significantly expanded its health professional training institutions and numbers of graduates. With need to improve the quality of its health workforce, Viet Nam embarked on major health professional medical reform. Reform measures include moving towards competency-based education and assessment, and overall strengthening of health workforce regulations, which are in line with the WHO Global Strategy on Human Resources for Health: Workforce 2030. With the COVID-19 outbreak and need to strengthen the grassroots healthcare system in Viet Nam, the health workforce remains as one of the critical inputs to the health system and shaping the ability for Viet Nam to respond to the changing health needs in the future.

More specifically, in July 2020, the Government of Viet Nam established the National Medical Council (NMC) with PM Decision (No 956-QD-TTg). The establishment of the Council follows the Party Resolution 20 (No 20/2017–NQ/TW) on the protection, care and improvement of people’s health. The resolution includes establishing an NMC to administer national licensing examinations and grant practice certificates according to international standards. The NMC has two main functions:

1) setting competency standards for health professional education

2) preparing the conditions for the assessment of health professionals.

Some of the lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic highlight the importance of the ability to plan for surge capacity and longer-term health workforce needs, and support to the health workforce particularly in high risk areas and during extended COVID-19 outbreak. Health workforce policies which create an enabling environment and consider the mental and psycho-social support to health workers during these critical times are to be continuously evaluated and strengthened.

Based on request from the Ministry of Health, the WHO Representative Office in Viet Nam has provided technical assistance to the Government of Viet Nam in health professional education reform. The continued areas of WHO support will entail, but will not be limited to, support to capacity building of the NMC, health workforce planning, and situation analyses of the mental health and psycho-social support to the health workforce during COVID-19. Work to be performed

2. Method(s) to carry out the activity

The consultant can work remotely if needed. The work will involve but not be limited to; coordinating across partners, participating in meetings and workshops (remotely if needed), providing technical advice to documents and reports as required. The consultant will provide support to the UHC team and relevant MOH departments on health workforce regulation and planning.

Output/s

Under the overall supervision of the UHC Team Leader, the consultant will support the UHC team on the following outputs:

📍 Output 1: Technical support to establishment of national medical council and preparation for national licensing examination, including item bank development, and collaboration with Korea Health Personnel Health Examination Institute

Deliverable 1.1: Substantive technical input provided to technical workshops on establishment of a national licensing examination and item bank development
Deliverable 1.2: Substantive technical input and support to implementing the NMC operational plan for 2022-2023

📍 Output 2: Technical support to co-organize 6th Annual Medical Education Conference

Deliverable 2.1: Substantive technical input provided to the agenda and relevant sessions of the 6th Annual Medical Education Conference

📍 Output 3: Technical support to health workforce data and planning

Deliverable 3.1: Substantive technical input provided to technical brief on health worker data, including updating and analyzing health worker (doctors, nurses and midwives, pharmacists, dentists, etc.) data

📍 Output 4: Technical support to study on mental health and psychosocial support for health workers, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic

Deliverable 4.1: Substantive technical input provided to survey design and analyses in relation to work on examining the mental health and need for psychosocial support for health workers during the COVID-19 pandemic

3. Planned timelines (subject to confirmation)

Start date: 24 January 2022
End date: 23 December 2022

4. Specific requirements

a. Qualifications required:

Essential: Undergraduate degree in relevant areas including medicine, nursing, public health or education science from a recognised university.

Desirable: Master’s degree in relevant areas including medicine, nursing, public health or education science from a recognised university.

1. Experience required:

Essential: At least 7 years of experience in relevant areas including in public health, health policy development, and health professional education development.
Desirable: Prior experience of working with the Government of Viet Nam or in the Western Pacific Region on health workforce related issues will be considered an advantage.

2. Skills / Technical skills and knowledge:

Strong Analytical and communication skills
Ability to write, handle quantitative data and build conceptual models
Knowledge of the health system in Viet Nam desirable.
Specific technical knowledge with health information systems and health work force data bases considered an asset.

3. Language requirements: Expert written and spoken English

4. Competencies