Health Sector Academic Adviser

Title: Health Sector Academic Adviser (HSAA)

Services Designation: Health Sector Academic Adviser for LAO/035 – “Health and nutrition programme”

Location: Vientiane (60%) and travel to provinces (40%), Lao PDR

Starting date: 15.01.2024

Duration: 24 months (renewable)

1. BACKGROUND

The Lao and Luxembourg governments decided for the fifth Lao-Luxembourg Indicative Cooperation Programme (ICP V) to maintain and deepen collaboration nationally, but with emphasis on the provinces of Bokeo, Bolikhamxay, Khammouane and Vientiane, through following four sectoral programmes (2023-2027) with a total budget of approximately 100 MEUR, as follows:

·       Health and Nutrition (H&N) with a budget of ca. 32.5 MEUR;

·       Local Development with a budget of ca. 34 MEUR (including Swiss co-financing);

·       Skills for Tourism, Agriculture and Forestry (STAF) with a budget of ca. 25 MEUR (including Swiss and EU co-financing);

·       Rule of Law, Access to Justice and Good Governance (ROLAG) with a budget of 9 MEUR.

Both governments also agreed to seek strong linkages between the four programmes to optimize synergy and impact.

The earmarked interventions will be interconnected through a common human capital development approach towards sustainable results. This will be the foundation of ICP V and key to contribute to eradicate extreme poverty and strengthen socio-economic inclusion in the target areas.

The Health and Nutrition programme is the continuation and further expansion of two previous healthcare support initiatives named Lao-Luxembourg health sector support programme (LL-HSSP). The programme will work in close cooperation with the United Nations Joint Programme (UNJP), especially at the provincial level in the fields of Reproductive, Maternal, New-born, Child and Adolescent Health (RMNCAH) and nutrition – latter in close concert with ongoing initiatives undertaken by Caritas Luxembourg.

The duration of the sectoral programme is set at five years comprising a total budget of ca. 32.5 million EUR, including 4.5 million EUR for Aide au Développement de la Santé (ADS), a Luxembourg non-governmental organization (NGO) working for more than 20 years in Lao PDR in the field of cardiology.

The programme will predominantly contribute to the long term change objective that Lao people have access to an essential health service package (including RMNCAH and nutrition services) of adequate quality and affordable to all, leaving no one behind, whereby (i) Lao people do indeed have “access” to those health services, (ii) those health services are affordable to all, and (iii) those health services provided to Lao people are of good quality.

The programme will uphold a geographic focus on all districts in the three provinces of Bolikhamxay, Khammouane and Vientiane Province but aims to deepen interventions to enhance overall effectiveness and efficiency. Programme expansion to Bokeo province will interface with a parallel Luxembourg-financed local development programme as well as the UNJP.

For good quality health service to be provided to Lao people, eight broad areas of intervention are described as part of the ToC pathway, each contributing to Human Resources Capital Development (HRCD).

Overall, the ICP V sectoral programme aims at creating favourable conditions for institutional and technical sustainability with (i) the accent put on HRCD, training and capacity development activities, (ii) an emphasis on embedding supported activities into the national management structures and (iii) the institutionalisation and expansion of the Joint Participatory Mechanism i.e. a “multiplication” co-financing apparatus between Laos and Luxembourg to finance health care operations and out-of-pocket expenses at grassroots level in the participating provinces.

Regarding the national level, the Health and Nutrition programme will closely work together with other bilateral and multilateral actors in the sector to ensure Luxembourg interventions are harmonized, including in policy dialogue, practical collaboration and coordination.

2. OBJECTIVES

The HSAA will lead, manage, and coordinate the provincial implementation of the LAO/035 Human Resource Capital Development Plan (HRCDP). 

The HSAA is responsible for coordinating and managing training programmes within a nursing and medical care setting. This includes tasks such as developing curriculum, designing educational materials, scheduling classes, coordinating clinical placements, and providing support to nursing and medical students throughout their academic and in-service training.

Additionally, the HSAA may collaborate with university and nursing school faculty members, organize training sessions, evaluate program effectiveness, and ensure compliance with educational standards and regulations. The HSAA’s role is pivotal in ensuring the smooth functioning of the medical and nursing training program at the Provincial Training Complex and facilitating the growth and quality improvement in nursing and medical care.

3. RESPONSIBILITIES

Identify human resource development and training needs at provincial and district level.

·       collaborate with medical and nursing school administrators and stakeholders to conduct comprehensive needs assessments at the provincial and district levels;

·       collect and analyse data concerning educational gaps, challenges, and opportunities in the programme’s target areas;

·       engage with provincial teachers/trainers, and students to gather insights into the specific training and development needs;

·       develop detailed reports and recommendations based on the needs assessments, outlining strategies for addressing the identified gaps in human resource development and training.

Revise training curricula and syllabus (content) for the training supported at the provincial training complex, ensuring alignment of training with standards and goals

·       evaluate existing training curricula for healthcare personnel and identify areas for improvement and alignment with the standards and goals of the training complex;

·       collaborate with subject matter experts and stakeholders to revise and update training curricula, ensuring they incorporate the latest evidence-based practices and address emerging needs in the healthcare sector;

·       ensure that the revised curricula are aligned with national/regional training frameworks and accreditation requirements;

·       conduct regular reviews and evaluations of training activities to ensure their effectiveness and alignment with the desired outcomes;

·       collaborate with trainers to provide guidance and support in aligning their teaching methodologies and materials with the training goals.

Establish mechanisms for quality assurance in healthcare delivery:

·       develop quality assurance standards and guidelines for health staff;

·       conduct regular assessments to ensure compliance with quality assurance standards;

·       facilitate knowledge sharing and best practice exchange among healthcare providers to improve the quality of healthcare services.

Develop SOPs and training materials:

·       conduct a thorough review of existing processes and procedures to understand current practices. Collaborate with relevant stakeholders to identify the need for Standard Operating Procedures (SOP)s and training materials;

·       in collaboration with local stakeholders, develop clear and comprehensive SOPs based on best practices;

·       create training materials, including manuals, guides, videos, or interactive modules, to support the implementation of SOPs. Collaborate with subject matter experts and trainers to validate and refine the training materials;

·       provide “train the trainer” to relevant personnel to institutionalize the implementation of SOPs;

·       establish a process for ongoing review and updates of SOPs and training materials as needed, monitor the adoption and adherence to SOPs within the organization or programme;

·       evaluate the impact of SOPs on operational efficiency and suggest adjustments as necessary.

Manage and implement provincial training schedules, support capacity building initiatives for health personnel in beneficiary provinces, curate content for trainees

·       collaborate with stakeholders to identify healthcare training needs in beneficiary provinces;

·       develop a tailored training schedule aligned with healthcare capacity-building goals;

·       curate and customize healthcare training content with expert input;

·       monitor and evaluate healthcare training sessions for effectiveness.

Develop and implement a comprehensive system for tracing health personnel

·       design and establish a database to track the movement and deployment of health personnel;

·       collaborate with relevant stakeholders to gather and update information on health personnel, including their qualifications, skills, and deployment status;

·       conduct regular monitoring and reporting on the availability and distribution of health personnel in different healthcare facilities;

·       identify gaps and challenges in the trainee tracing system and propose improvements;

·       develop monitoring and evaluation frameworks to track the progress of activities related to health personnel tracing.

Conduct operational research and analysis.

·       determine research topics pertinent to HR and healthcare quality ;

·       design and conduct research projects to generate evidence and insights regarding the training and quality improvement of the healthcare staff, key performance indicator data collection and analysis ;

·      analyse research findings and communicate the results through reports, presentations, and publications.

Reporting:

The HSAA will produce research and analytic reports, as well as brief verbal reports at the end of each mission. All documents will be drafted in English, based on standard LAO/035 templates. The incumbent will contribute to the LAO/035 programme reports and annual operation plans development.

4. PROFILE

·     bachelor’s degree in medicine or nursing (post graduate degree is an advantage) ;

·     demonstrated experience as an educator (clinical, medical and/or nursing) ;

·     excellent English language skills (lao language skills is an advantage) ;

·     previous experience in working with international organizations is an advantage.

How to apply: https://careers.luxdev.lu/job-invite/1394/

Please apply via our website:

 Deadline: 3 December 2023