UNICEF Bhutan seeks proposal from eligible national consultants to conduct Situation Analysis on Pediatric and Childhood Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs). This consultancy services is expected to generate comprehensive evidence on the burden, risk factors, service availability, system readiness, and policy landscape related to pediatric and childhood NCDs , in Bhutan to inform strategic policy shifts, planning, programming, and resource allocation.

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For every child, a future

Background

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are a growing concern for children and adolescents. Each year, about one million people under the age of 20 die from treatable NCDs, accounting for over 15.85 % of deaths globally. NCDs cause 24.8% of disability-affected life years (DALYs) and 14.6% of deaths among children and adolescents.
Bhutan has made commendable progress in improving child survival and nutrition outcomes. However, the epidemiological transition and changing risk profiles have led to a growing burden of pediatric and childhood non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including asthma, congenital conditions, childhood cancers, diabetes, mental health disorders, injuries, and other chronic conditions.
Despite increasing programmatic attention, there is limited consolidated evidence on the magnitude, distribution, risk factors, service readiness, and health system capacity to prevent, detect, manage, and monitor pediatric NCDs in Bhutan. Existing national NCD strategies are largely adult-focused, and there is limited integration of Pediatric NCD (pNCD) and Childhood NCD (cNCD) screening or chronic care.
Therefore, a structured situation assessment is essential to generate baseline evidence, identify system bottlenecks, inform national planning and resource mobilization, and guide UNICEF’s strategy for cNCD/ pNCD prevention in Bhutan.
This situation assessment will support the Ministry of Health (MoH) to synthesize available evidence, on childhood NCD, assess policy and strategies, identify service gaps, and propose recommendations that align with the National Health Policy, National NCD Strategic Action Plan, and Global NCD Targets. The assessment will inform national planning processes, investment priorities, and integration of childhood NCD services into Universal Health Coverage (UHC) frameworks.

How can you make a difference? 

Purpose of Activity/Assignment:

The purpose of this consultancy is to generate comprehensive evidence on the burden, risk factors, service availability, system readiness, and policy landscape related to pediatric and childhood NCDs, in particular for age group 0-19 years, in Bhutan to inform strategic planning, programming, and resource allocation.

Scope of Assignment:
This assignment will be undertaken to:
  1. Review existing national policies, strategies, and guidelines related to reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health (RMNCAH) and NCD prevention, including the extent of their integration.
  2. Assess the burden of non-communicable diseases among children and adolescents, including mental health conditions and disabilities. This should include health systems’s capacity, risk factors related to cNCDs/ pNCDs like Nutrition, Obesity, environmental factors, physical activity etc, and opportunities for prevention and management.
  3. Examine the degree of service integration and linkages across the life course through key delivery platforms such as hospitals, primary health centres (PHCs), sub-posts, schools, and monastic institutions.
  4. Review the availability and coverage of screening services at different platforms, including those related to cNCD risk factors, developmental monitoring, disability screening, and mental health among children, adolescents and mothers.
  5. Analyze referral pathways and continuity of care between community (Village Health Workers), primary, secondary, and tertiary levels of the health system.
  6. Assess health system readiness, including workforce competencies for identification, management and referral of children and adolescents for cNCD including availability of essential supplies and equipment, and the functionality of health information system.
  7. Identify key gaps in the health system, bottlenecks, and opportunities for strengthening integrated life-course well-care services.
  8. Provide actionable program and policy guidance and recommendations for integration of pediatric NCDs and well care service packages into the existing health care system including PHC, School and Monastic institution health programs.
Methodology
The assignment will be carried out by a national consultant using the most current information/ data available. The consultant is expected to apply mixed method using key informant interviews and secondary data by desk review of the relevant studies and projects/ surveys in the past five years. Primary data gathering such as training need assessment (TNA) would be required to assess related capacity of healthcare professionals on cNCDs.
Following methods may be applied:
  1. Desk review - Policies, strategies, research and surveys.
  2. Quantitative analysis - Using HMIS and surveillance data.
  3. Health facility assessment- Facility readiness, HR availability and capacity, essential supply.
  4. Key informant interview –pediatrician, NCD programme managers, school health programme managers etc.
  5. Focus group discussion - Parents, adolescents’ group and frontline health workers etc
The national consultant will be required to develop a work plan, outlining methodology, data collection, analysis, etc., in the inception report. Progress will be reported periodically to Health and Nutrition Section of UNICEF Bhutan, who will monitor the progress and provide further directives.
Proposed sample areas for data collection
  1. Three Regional Hospital (Eastern, Central and Western)
  2. Three cluster Hospitals (One from each region)
  3. Three 20 bedded Hospital (One from each region)
  4. Nine PHC (Three from each region)
  5. Three Subposts (One from each region)
  6. Three 10 bedded Hospital (One from each region)
  7. Families of children with NCD
  8. Relevant Stakeholder consultation/ interview
The consultant is required to update the progress regularly (at each milestone or monthly) to ensure that the work is going according to the plan. 
Expected report - The final report of the situation analysis must contain but not limited to the following:
  • Executive summary
  • Epidemiological profile
  • Policy, research and governance
  • Health system capacity
  • Health system gaps and bottlenecks
  • Service delivery gaps
  • Risk factor analysis
  • Health Information system
  • Health financing
  • Strategic recommendation

Work Assignment Overview

Under the supervision of  Programme Officer, Health Nutrition and Wash Section of UNICEF Bhutan, the consultant is expected to deliver the following outputs: 

Sl. No. Work Assignment Deliverables/Outputs Estimated No. of Days
1
Development of inception report and presentation, including assessment framework and detailed work plan, timeline, and outline of Methodology.
 Make a presentation on draft Inception report with timeline to NCDD, MoH and HNW UNICEF and submit the final inception report after incorporating comments and feedback 7
2
Conduct literature reviews and desk review of existing national NCD policies, strategies, guidelines, and reports.
Review national data sources and compile all relevant data from available sources.
 Draft Desk Review report including preliminary findings of the pNCD and cNCD disease burden submitted. 14
3
Conduct of KIIs and FGDs with stakeholders, partners, and communities.
Consolidate KII and FGD findings with desk review and develop detailed study report and share.
 Draft consolidated assessment report on desk review, KIIs and FGDs, including policy briefs and recommendations submitted. 20
4 Coordinate and conduct stakeholder consultation meeting on the draft assessment report. National Stakeholder Consultation meeting conducted, and meeting reports submitted. 3
5
Incorporation of all comments and feedback from the stakeholder consultation meeting and share.
Final Assessment report with analysis, key recommendations and priorities identified for
programming related to pNCD/ cNCD.
Should include suggested strategy for programme implementation and integration into routine healthcare services (Complete
final printed report with soft copies
(editable) submitted)
 Final detailed assessment report with actionable recommendations and final policy brief to support advocacy, policy formulation, and programmatic planning submitted. 10

Duration of Contract: 54 working days spread over 3 months

Travel: International travel is not foreseen for this assignment. However, local travel within the country will be required. The travel cost should be incorporated in the financial proposal. 

Payment terms and conditions:

The consultant’s payment terms and conditions are specified below upon certification by UNICEF's Programme Officer of Health, Nutrition and Wash Section that all deliverables have been satisfactorily submitted and the feedback and comments incorporated. The final payment to the consultant will be made after successful completion of all deliverables and submission of consultancy performance appraisal.

  1. 15% upon submission and endorsement of final inception report, including methodology, study design, timeline and data collection tools and plan.
  2. 30% upon submission and endorsement of Desk Review report including preliminary findings of the pNCD and cNCD disease burden. 
  3. 30% upon submission and endorsement of consolidated assessment report on desk review, KIIs and FGDs, including policy briefs and recommendations. 
  4. 25% upon submission and endorsement of final detailed assessment report with actionable recommendations and final policy brief to support advocacy, policy formulation, and programmatic planning.

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have… 

Minimum requirements:

1. Education Qualification: 

  • Master or Post-graduate degree in public health, Epidemiology, Health Policy or related discipline.

2. Work experience/Knowledge/Expertise/Skills required

  • Minimum 5 years of experience in health systems, NCDs, or child health programming with public health research background.
  • Demonstrated experience in study design, data collection and analysis.
  • Proven experience in conducting national-level situational analyses or policy reviews.
  • Strong analytical, research, planning, and engagement organizational skills.
  • Excellent communication, report writing, and presentation skills.
  • Experience in stakeholder engagement and policy advisory is an asset.
  • Proficiency in Microsoft office and statistic analytical tools.
  • Knowledge on Bhutan’s health system
  • Fluency in both written and spoken English.
  • Past experience of working with UNICEF on similar assignments with positive outcomes will be an asset.

Submission of Proposals and Evaluation Criteria

Proposal should include the following:

  1. Letter of intent
  2. Consultant’s full Curriculum Vitae.
  3. Proposed approach and methodology that will be followed in executing the assignment.
  4. A lump sum fee structure, indicating a breakdown of professional fee for the anticipated number of working days, including travel days .
  5. Name(s) of collaborator(s) (if applicable) with their full curriculum vitae.
  6. Reference to similar work (final products or links to previous work can be shared along with the proposal)

Selection will be done by UNICEF Bhutan as follows:

1. Technical Evaluation (75 points)

  • Academic Background - 10 points
  • Work experience in similar or relevant field - 30 points
  • Proposed methodology, workplan and timeline for the assignment - 35 points

2. Financial Evaluation (25 points)

Procedures and Logistics

  1. The consultant is expected to use his/her computer and work from his/her own workstation and arrange his/her own logistics for the travel.
  2. The consultant will report the progress periodically to the UNICEF's Health & Nutrition Section who will monitor the progress, provide further directives and endorse the report.

Remarks: 

  1. The consultants must submit the financial proposal along with the technical proposals. 
  2. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. 

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships

(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness

(3) Drive to achieve results for impact

(4) Innovates and embraces change

(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity

(6) Thinks and acts strategically

(7) Works collaboratively with others 

[add the 8th competency (Nurtures, leads and manages people) for a supervisory role]. 

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

UNICEF promotes and advocates for the protection of the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything it does and is mandated to support the realization of the rights of every child, including those most disadvantaged, and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, minority, or any other status.

UNICEF encourages applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic backgrounds, and from people with disabilities, including neurodivergence. 

UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination based on gender, nationality, age, race, sexual orientation, religious or ethnic background or disabilities. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check, and selected candidates with disabilities may be requested to submit supporting documentation in relation to their disability confidentially.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance.  Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station is required for IP positions and will be facilitated by UNICEF. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Should you be selected for a position with UNICEF, you either must be inoculated as required or receive a medical exemption from the relevant department of the UN. Otherwise, the selection will be canceled.

Remarks:  

As per Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity.

UNICEF is committed to fostering an inclusive, representative, and welcoming workforce. For this position, eligible and suitable [Insert candidates from targeted underrepresented groups] are encouraged to apply.

Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government positions before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason. 

UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants’ bank account information.

Humanitarian action is a cross-cutting priority within UNICEF’s Strategic Plan. UNICEF is committed to stay and deliver in humanitarian contexts. Therefore, all staff, at all levels across all functional areas, can be called upon to be deployed to support humanitarian response, contributing to both strengthening resilience of communities and capacity of national authorities.

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. An internal candidate performing at the level of the post in the relevant functional area, or an internal/external candidate in the corresponding Talent Group, may be selected, if suitable for the post, without assessment of other candidates.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.

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