World Health Organisation Tender

Background Telemedicine, Defined Here As The Delivery Of Health Services Where Clients/patients And Health Workers Are Separated By Distance (client-to-provider Telemedicine), And Where Two Or More Health Workers Are Separated By Distance (provider-to-provider Telemedicine), Has Played An Increasingly Important Role In supporting essential Service Delivery In Countries In The Context Of Covid-19 Pandemic. Evidence Has Suggested That A Well Managed Telemedicine Program Can Help Reduce Risk Of Infection, Saves Time and labor, increase Efficiency of Health System, Capacitate And Strengthen Primary Health Care From specialists, And Bring Expert Knowledge To Places Of Need. It Is Also Well Recognized That Funding For the digital infrastructure Required For service Delivery, Regulatory Frameworks, Training Of Health Workforce, Reconfiguration on The Mode Of Delivery and Reimbursement, And Effective Communication To The Public Are Critical To The Success Of Telemedicine Practices. for Countries Without Integrated Telemedicine Within Their National Health Care System, Covid-19 Pandemic Presents An opportunity To invest And Adopt The Necessary Health System Changes Supporting Wide Adoption Of Use Of Telemedicine.   Purpose/specific Objective Of The Activity This Assessment Is Proposed To Review And Document Best Practice And Lessons Learnt On Policy Development On The Use Of Telemedicine To Strengthen Health Service Delivery Before And During Covid-19 Pandemic, Identify Promising And Feasible Telemedicine Programs Especially In Low Resource Settings, And Highlight Critical Policy Considerations And Practice Approaches Addressing The Quality Of, access To and financial Protection Of  Telemedicine For Countries To Introduce In The Long Run.   Description Of Activities To Be Carried Out In Consultation With The Health Policy And Service Design Unit Of The Division Of Health Systems And Services, The Service Provider Will Perform The Following: Activity 1: Conduct A Literature Review On Existing Telemedicine Guidelines And National Policies And Their Implementation, Including Common Practice And Key Lessons Learnt In The Western Pacific Region And Globally, With Focus On The Role Of Telemedicine In Health System Strengthening And Service Coordination. • Review Existing Global/regional Guidelines As Well As National Policies And Strategies On Telemedicine With Focus On Regulatory Mechanisms, Quality Assurance, Access, Health Workforce Training, Program Implementation And Overall Service Coordination • Provide An Overview On The Most Common Telemedicine Practice And/or Established Programs In Wpr And Globally, And Highlight The Main Challenges, Progress, Best Practice And Lessons Learnt Up To Date. Deliverable 1: A Policy Brief(s) Summarizing Key Messages On Existing Telemedicine Guidelines And National Policies, Including Common Practice And Key Lessons Learnt In The Western Pacific Region And Globally Activity 2: Conduct Stakeholder Interview And Develop In-depth Case Studies On 2-3 Telemedicine Programs For Both Routine Health Services (using Management Of Ncds As Entry Point) And Support Covid-19 Pandemic Management, In Countries Where Best Evidence And Knowledge Are Available, Preferably In Wpr Region • Provide A Deep Dive On How These Programs Are Provided, Monitored And Evaluated, And Highlight The Health System And Organizational Changes Needed To Enable The Successful Delivery Of Telemedicine Programs, Taking Into Account Of Local Health System Characteristics And Macro Contexts. • Draw Lessons From The Main Issues Faced During Program Implementation And Provide Practical Policy Options For Countries To Consider When Introducing Telemedicine Programs. Deliverable 2: Case Study Reports To Present A Deep Dive On The Development And Implementation Of Telemedicine Programs For Both Routine Health Services And Support Covid-19 Pandemic Management In Wpr. Activity 3: Conduct A Scoping Review And Stakeholder Interview On Innovative Purchasing Practices And Reimbursement Policies For Telemedicine In The Wpr Region And Globally Responding To The Following Questions: • What Are The Effective Financial Incentives For Providing Telemedicine Services, And What Are The Financial Implications For Service Providers? • What Is The Scope Of Telemedicine Services Covered By The National Social Health Insurance Schemes? How Are They Reimbursed? What Are The Challenges And Barriers? • How Do Payers Conduct Quality Check On Services Provided Through Telemedicine? How Are Price Level And Volume Of Telemedicine Services Set? • Are There Any Established Evidence On Cost-effectiveness And Budget Impact Of Telemedicine Programs? Deliverable 3: A Policy Brief On The Existing Purchasing And Reimbursement Mechanisms For Telemedicine, Lessons Learnt And Policy Recommendations From Payers’ Perspective Activity 4: Prepare A Policy Brief(s) On Approaches And Options For The Policy Development And Deployment Of Telemedicine To Support Health System Strengthening In The New Normal This Brief Will Be Targeted At Member States Of The Western Pacific Region, Targeting At Low- And Middle-income Countries. If Appropriate, The Brief Should Take The Perspectives From The Regulators, Service Providers And Payers, To Propose Policy Recommendations Guiding Reform Efforts To Adapt To Service Delivery Through Telemedicine, In The Context Of New Normal. The Document Aims To Facilitate Who Country Offices In Engaging With The Government Counterparts On Developing And Implementing Policies For Better Integration And Coordination Of Telemedicine Within In The Health Sector. Deliverable 4: A Policy Brief(s) On Approaches And Options For Developing And Implementing Policies To Integrate Telemedicine In A Sustainable Way Into National Health Systems Building On Main Findings From The Project Activities.   Methods To Carry Out The Activity Review Of Existing Literature On Telemedicine Based On Research Questions Highlighted In The Project Activities. Literature To Be Reviewed Includes Peer Reviewed Articles, Preprints Of Manuscripts, Grey Literature Etc. The Language Of Literature Considered Should Not Limited To English But To Include Other Languages Commonly Used In Wpr As Appropriate. Conduct Case Studies And Stakeholder Interviews To Address The Research Questions In Countries As Needed.   Qualifications & Experience Education Essential:   Post Graduate Degree In Health Policy, Health Management, Health Information And Ehealth, Health Financing, Health Education, Health Research Or Other Public Health-related Sciences.   Experience Essential: At Least Seven Years Of Experience In Public Health Policy, Health System Analysis, Health Planning, Ehealth And Health Information, Health Financing, Health Education, Health Services Management Or Monitoring And Evaluation Of Health Services Desirable: Experience In Research Methods Including Systematic Reviews And Qualitative Research   Technical Skills & Knowledge • Experience In Health Policy And Planning, Health Services Organization, Quality Of Care, Health Legislation, Health Information • Good Knowledge Of Health Systems Strengthening   Languages Proficiency In English   Competencies • Technical Competence In Health Systems And Service Delivery Management And Organisation • Ability To Produce Results • Ability To Work Independently To Deadlines • Effective Communication Skills   Applications Qualified And Interested Specialists Should Submit Their Cv {for Individual Contractors} Or Company Profile {for Institutional Applications} And Expression Of Interest {cover Letter} To The Supply Officer Through Wp Ro Ungm At < Wproungm@who.int > By 3 November 2020.  The Cover Letter Should Outline How Their Experience And Qualifications Make Them A Suitable Candidate For This Position And Should Include Their Proposed Daily Consultancy Fee And Availability. Please Use Tender Notice No. 116175 As Subject To All Submission. only Successful Candidates Will Be Contacted.