Purpose of consultancy  

An expert is required to support the development of national policies for essential diagnostics and to assist with country profiling of health products, including vaccines and in-vitro diagnostics in Member States of the WHO Western Pacific Region.

Background  

Access to good quality, affordable, and appropriate health products, including essential diagnostics is indispensable to advance universal health coverage, address health emergencies, and promote healthier populations.

Ensuring access to essential diagnostics of assured quality is recognised in recent regional frameworks adopted in 2022 by the Western Pacific Regional Committee Meeting, including the Regional framework on the future of primary health care in the Western Pacific and the Regional framework for reaching the unreached in the Western Pacific (‎2022-2030)‎.  WHA Resolution 76.5 (2023), adopted by the Seventy-sixth World Health Assembly, emphasizes the critical role of diagnostics in healthcare. It calls for strengthening diagnostic capacities to improve the prevention, surveillance, diagnosis, case management, and treatment of various diseases. The resolution highlights the need for equitable access to quality diagnostics, particularly in low-resource settings, and supports the development of national laboratory systems. It also underscores the importance of training healthcare workers and ensuring the availability of essential diagnostic tools.

To determine the key areas that require support for the development or improvement of health technology programs in countries and regions, the first WHO Baseline country survey on medical devices was launched in February 2010 by the WHO Department of Essential Health Technologies. It resulted in the first set of country profiles conveying the situation of medical devices globally.  The country profiles were updated with a re-launch of the survey in November 2013 and since then, every 3 years, the final update of the global medical device data was published in 2022.[1] Moreover, a comprehensive assessment and profiling of the pharmaceutical sector helps identify gaps to develop effective interventions and assess their impact over time.

Deliverables

The consultant will consult with EMT in delivering the following outputs:

Output 1: To support the development of a pharmaceutical sector profile for Member States, focusing on essential diagnostics.

Deliverable 1.1 Methodology to analyze access to and regulation of vaccines and diagnostics in the WHO Western Pacific Region
Deliverable 1.2 Analysis report on access to and regulation of vaccines and diagnostics situation, including research and development, market entry and control, local manufacturing, procurement, supply chain, and use of vaccines as essential medicines and diagnostics in selected Member States
Deliverable 1.3 The key indicators for essential diagnostics are included in the pharmaceutical sector profile.
Deliverable 1.4 The profile for essential diagnostics and/or pharmaceutical sector is updated for selected Member States

Output 2: To support the development of national policies for essential diagnostics

Deliverable 2.1: Development and/or update of national policies, such as the essential diagnostics list of a Member State as a pilot

Output 3: To support maintaining partnerships with development donors and technical partners

Deliverable 3.1:  Draft or review of concept note, review of related meetings, webinars, country missions and response to request from countries related to the development of country profiles and national policies on essential diagnostics.

Output 4: To submit a technical report

Deliverable 4.1 Monthly report based on the agreed monthly plan
Deliverable 4.2 Technical report outlining Output 1-3 submitted at the end of the contract.

Qualifications, experience, skills and languages

Educational Qualifications:

Essential:  University degree in medicine, pharmacy, microbiology, life sciences, bioengineering, or any other health related fields from a recognized university. 
Desirable:  Advanced degree on public health and relevant fields. Additional training on data analysis, presentation and management. 

Experience:  

Essential: At least 2 years of relevant experience on medical diagnostic in the low- and middle-income countries. 
Desirable:  At least 2 years of experience working at WHO, UN agencies or development partners.

Skills/Knowledge:

• Health systems analysis: Ability to assess and interpret health systems, regulatory environments, and policy frameworks, particularly for vaccines and diagnostics.
• Research design & data analysis: Proficiency in designing methodologies, collecting and analyzing data, and synthesizing findings into actionable reports.
• Sector profiling: Experience in developing, updating, and maintaining profiles for health products and pharmaceutical sectors, including integration of key indicators.
• Regulatory affairs: Understanding of market entry, quality assurance, local manufacturing, procurement, and supply chain management for health products.
• Policy development: Expertise in drafting, reviewing, and updating national health policies and essential diagnostics lists, with knowledge of international standards and best practices.
• Stakeholder engagement: Skills in collaborating with ministries of health, regulatory authorities, donors, technical partners, and other stakeholders.
• Communication & coordination: Strong written and verbal communication skills for preparing reports, concept notes, and responding to requests; effective coordination of meetings, webinars, and country missions.
• Project management: Ability to manage deliverables, timelines, and reporting requirements across multiple outputs.
• Cultural competence: Sensitivity to diverse contexts and needs of Member States.

Languages and level required:

Fully fluent in written and spoken English is essential.

Location

Onsite: WPRO, Manila, Philippines

Travel

The consultant is expected to travel to Manila, Philippines for onsite support in the WHO/WPRO and may be required to travel to Member States (subject to clearance) if necessary.

Remuneration and budget

Remuneration: Payband level A, USD 6,000 (monthly)
Living expenses (A living expense is payable to on-site consultants who are internationally recruited): USD70 per day
Expected duration of contract (Maximum contract duration is 11 months per calendar year):  11 Months, February to December 2026

Additional Information:

•    This vacancy notice may be used to identify candidates for other similar consultancies at the same level.
•    Only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted.
•    A written test may be used as a form of screening.
•    If your candidature is retained for interview, you will be required to provide, in advance, a scanned copy of the degree(s)/diploma(s)/certificate(s) required for this position. WHO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU)/United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed through the link: http://www.whed.net/. Some professional certificates may not appear in the WHED and will require individual review.
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