Consultant - Malaria Elimination

Purpose of the consultancy

The consultant will support the WHO Country Liaison Office, Vanuatu in strengthening Malaria Elimination Strategy of the Vanuatu Ministry of Health particularly to:

• Finalize the draft Vanuatu Malaria Elimination Framework (VMEF) 2026-2032 (including the M&E framework)

• Develop detailed bottom-up micro-costing of the VMEF 2026-2032

• Support the operationalization of the province/island-based model of malaria elimination with emphasis on the strengthening of the provincial capacities for surveillance for elimination (2025 guidelines)

• Assist National Malaria and other Vectorborne Diseases Control Programme (NMVBDCP) in program management including work planning, partner coordination and reporting to the Global Fund Principal Recipient UNDP

Background

Malaria has long been a public health challenge in Vanuatu, with both Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax historically endemic. The country's journey toward elimination has been marked by phased progress—early local success, national scale-up of interventions, and periodic resurgence.

Vanuatu’s first elimination success was achieved on Aneityum Island in Tafea Province in the early 1990s through a combination of mass drug administration (MDA), insecticide-treated nets (ITNs), and strong community-based surveillance. Although malaria was interrupted by 1996, a P. vivax outbreak five years later highlighted the island’s high receptivity and the risk of resurgence—lessons that continue to shape the national strategy.

Building on Aneityum’s experience, the Ministry of Health (MOH) selected Tafea Province in 2008 as the pilot for provincial-scale elimination. Tanna Island, the most populous in the province, was the focus of intensified efforts including indoor residual spraying (IRS), larval source management, rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs), and community mobilization. These interventions led to the last locally acquired case in 2014 and WHO certification of malaria-free status for Tafea in 2017. Tanna became a national model, demonstrating the feasibility of elimination with sustained leadership, investment, and partnership.

In 2021, the government launched the National Strategic Plan for Malaria Elimination (2021–2026), aiming to progressively eliminate malaria province by province. However, from 2022 to 2024, malaria cases resurged in northern provinces—particularly Torba and Sanma provinces.

The targeted response resulted in control of the situation in Torba but Sanma has continued with the rising incidence. Additionally, early 2025 has seen continued sharp increases in Penama and Malampa provinces, with Shefa province reporting high numbers of imported cases, both domestic and international. These trends indicate that Vanuatu is falling off-track from its elimination targets and requires renewed focus and strategy.

To address this, the MOH, with technical support from WHO, has initiated the development of the Vanuatu Malaria Elimination Framework (VMEF) 2026–2032. This upcoming strategy adopts an island-based model to elimination, which tailors’ interventions to the geographic, ecological, and transmission characteristics of each island group—building on lessons from Aneityum and Tanna while addressing operational challenges faced in larger, more mobile populations. A first draft of this strategy, including the monitoring and evaluation (M&E) framework, has been developed.

To consolidate progress, respond to emerging challenges, and accelerate the country’s path to elimination, WHO’s Country Office in Vanuatu is recruiting a qualified consultant to provide technical expertise and strategic guidance to the Ministry of Health.

Deliverables

Under the direct supervision of the CLO, Vanuatu, the consultant is expected to deliver the following:

Output 1: Finalize the draft VMEF (2026-2032)

Deliverables: (August – October 2025)

1. Organize a virtual consultation with NMVBDCP to present and obtain feedback on the first draft of the VMEF 2026-2032.

2. Incorporate and update the draft VMEF 2026-2032, including the M&E section, based on the feedback from stakeholders; and

3. Assist MOH in launching and dissemination of the finalized VMEF 2026-2032.

Output 2: Develop detailed costing of the VMEF 2026-2032

Deliverables: (October – November 2025)

1. Work with the MOH, NMVBDCP, provincial teams and partners to develop detailed ingredient-based micro-costing of the VMEF 2026-2032. The VMEF 2026-2032 budget should include activity-level costs aggregated at the annual, intervention and strategic objective levels; and

2. Include costing in the final VMEF 2026-2032 and dissemination.

Output 3: Operationalization of the province/island-based model of malaria elimination with emphasis on the strengthening of the provincial capacities for surveillance for elimination (2025 guidelines)

Deliverables: (October – December 2025)

1. Organize surveillance-focused trainings for Provincial teams targeting to launch their provincial island-focused malaria elimination programs in 2025-2027;

2. Work with HIS, NMVBDCP focal points on the upgrade of DHIS2 for real-time reporting, household mapping, foci investigation and monitoring;

3. Roll out real-time reporting at health facility level in Shefa province for case notifications within 24 hours; and

4. Operationalize the foci investigation and monitoring system in Shefa and other elimination provinces as needed.

Output 4: Reporting to the Global Fund Principal Recipient (PR) UNDP

Deliverables (August to December 2025)

1. Support the NMVBDCP and WHO SSAs in work planning and reporting to the Global Fund PR UNDP;

2. Support efforts to improve the quality and timeliness of reporting of Malaria data from health facilities;

3. Facilitate quarterly WHO-led Malaria Elimination Steering Committee Meetings in collaboration with NMVBDCP;

4. Strengthen coordination between NMVDCP and provincial teams and with partners on resource mobilization; and

5. Provide technical and coordination support on forecasting and procurement.

Output 5: Prepare and submit mission report.

Deliverables:Monthly and final mission reports submitted to the WHO Country Liaison Office.

Qualifications, experience, skills and languages

Educational Qualifications:

Essential: Degree in medicine or advanced degree in epidemiology, public health, health sciences or in a related field from a recognized university

Experience:

Essential:

• At least 7 years of work experience in malaria, infectious and/or communicable diseases, medical parasitology, epidemiology, and/or health economics.
• At least 4 years of experience working on malaria surveillance and/or elimination strategies and costing.

Desirable:

• Work experience in the Pacific and/or other developing countries in the Asia-Pacific Region.
• Experience in working to support governments to achieve their public health goals.
• Experience in working with WHO/UN agencies.

Skills/Technical skills and knowledge:

Essentials:

• Thorough knowledge of malaria elimination and strategies.
• Proven experience in the development of technical strategies and detailed costing for disease elimination.
• Prior experience in leading multi-stakeholder consultative processes with governments and partners.

Desirable:

• Technical expertise in at least one of the following domains: clinical management, disease surveillance, health situation analysis, strategic thinking, supply management, programme management and evaluation, operational research.
• Familiarity with developing M&E frameworks.

Languages:

High proficiency in spoken and written English is essential.

Location:

Onsite: Port Vila, Vanuatu

Travel:

The consultant is expected to travel to Vanuatu and provide on-site support and due to the nature of support, teleworking will not be possible. This assignment may involve travel to the provinces.

Remuneration and budget:

Remuneration: Payband level B

Duration: 5 months, August to December 2025

Additional Information:

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