National Consultant – EPI At CTG

verview of CTG:

• CTG support and manage humanitarian projects in fragile and conflict-affected countries around the world. With past performance in 15 countries – from the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Asia and Central and South America – we offer a holistic fabric of project management, implementation and support. Skilled in emergency response to crises such as the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, we have the ability to act quickly (crisis response teams can be on the ground in 24 hours) and to establish structured operations in high-risk environments. CTG recruit and manage qualified, skilled teams with extensive experience operating in challenging conditions.

Overview of the position:

• EPI is the only public health program being implemented nationwide through network of about 700 immunization sites out of these NCDC has decided to use 426 on an nationwide for COVID-19 vaccination. The country reports very high immunization coverage (administrative coverage) against childhood vaccine preventable diseases however, there has been deterioration in the health system including EPI & currently faced by number of issues the system issues which include HR capacities, lack of micro plans must for planning evidence backed immunization programming, no updated data on cold chain & vaccine management, monitoring of quality of vaccines & above all quality & reliability of data. There are number of prerequisites which are a must for a strong quality immunization program in any country & basic objective of this consultancy is to facilitate development of immunization system in focused health facilities as a pilot for nationwide replication.
• Micro plans are backbone of the immunization program. Each facility should have a micro detail of the immunization activities being conducted defining the target population. Forecast for vaccine, vaccination coverage & defaulter list for follow up actions. These micro plans from 1 administrative area are compiled to develop the micro plan of next level the municipality micro plan enabling the municipality management to arrange vaccines to meet needs of the vaccine at municipality level. At next level all municipality micro plans are developed contribute in data quality, reliability & timeliness are main concern impeding evidence backed & predictable programming in immunization. No independent assessment of immunization coverage, desk reviews & capacity assessment of immunization program has been conducted in the country since long. Therefore, strengthening reliability and timely availability of data is critical for immunization program to contribute effective in prevention of vaccine preventable diseases among children.
• Huge gaps in HR capacities to ensure service as per global standards required for immunization. It is critical that urgent training of vaccination staff is undertaken on cold chain & vaccine management.
• Vaccine are very sensitive to change to temperature, therefore a system to ensure quality of vaccine during storage, distribution & administration is critical through reliable vaccine monitoring mechanism. This is required at all level from in cold rooms, central level with alarm system (temp mapping & monitoring) to each & every equipment having vaccine. FT2 is a device in use for the purpose & about 700 devices have already been procured must to be available & used in 426 targeted facilities.
• Our client is implementing a comprehensive package of interventions with special focus on quality and coverage of EPI vaccines nationwide. EPI is the only public health program in Libya through network of about 700 immunization sites. The administrative coverage is reported very high against childhood vaccine preventable diseases however, EPI is embarking on introduction of COVID-19 vaccine in 426 targeted sites where extensive technical support is required for QA. Hence, our client Libya is seeking the services of a National Consultant for EPI for a period of 3 months (extendable) with a tentative start date of 1st of May 2021.

Role objective:

Under the guidance & supervision of the Director EPI, the consultant will:

• Assist in implementing health facility based micro plans to facilitate vaccination in targeted.
• Contribute in undertaking cold chain & vaccine management training to equip vaccination staff health facility level with required knowledge & skill sets for quality services.
• Placement of FT2 the monitoring device in cold chain equipment’s to ensure quality of vaccine during storage, distribution & administration through reliable vaccine monitoring mechanism.
• Endorse & scale up use of EPI booklet & COVID guidelines as basic guide for the vaccinators.
• Assist in development & dissemination of awareness raising material on the subject for wider dissemination.
• Undertake monitoring of health facilities to assess the knowledge, attitude & practices of the staff trained to support EPI.
• Submit detailed monitoring report highlighting any issues with recommended action.
• Develop a profile of the staff trained during the process & the vaccination site.
• Prepare monthly reports of the defined activities & submit to the supervisor for review.

Project reporting:

• This role works under the guidance & supervision of the Director EPI.

Team management:

• This role doesn’t have any team management responsibility.

Geographical experience:

• Minimum of 2 year of experience in Africa (essential) and/or Africa (essential).

Languages:

• Fluency in English and Arabic are essential.

Key competencies:

• University Degree or Higher Diploma in Media, Social Science, Public Health, Business Administration, Linguistics or related fields.
• Experience of working with diverse groups of people in emergencies an asset.
• 2 years of relevant professional experience in public health / social sector analysis & reporting.
• Strong communication in written & oral in Arabic & English with specific skills in undertaking training & vaccine management.
• Quality oriented, creative, able to work efficiently under tight deadlines.

Other relevant information:

• Qualified female candidates are encouraged to apply for this role.