World Health Organisation Tender

Background The Covid-19 Pandemic Has Accelerated The Need For Virtual Care Solutions, Especially Telemedicine, In The Pacific And Globally. Telemedicine Services Have Been Identified As A Critical Measure To Facilitate Public Health Mitigation Strategies By Increasing Social Distancing And Maintaining Delivery Of Essential Health Services. Changes In The Way That Health Care Is Delivered During The Covid-19 Pandemic Have Occurred To Reduce Staff And Patient Exposure To Sick People, Preserve Personal Protective Equipment (ppe), And Minimize The Impact Of Patient Surges On Facilities And Maintain Health Service Delivery. Healthcare Systems May Need To Adjust The Way They Triage, Evaluate, And Care For Patients Using Methods That Do Not Rely On In-person Encounters. Despite Telemedicine’s Value In Connecting Service Providers And Patients In Need Where Remoteness Or Physical Barrier Is Significant, The Use Of Telemedicine Has Been Limited In The Many Countries In The Pacific. However, French Territories And Us Affiliated States Have Adopted A Certain Level Of Telemedicine Technologies To Get Connected With Major Health Institutes In Those Countries. Recognizing This Gap In Terms Of Using Telemedicine In The Pacific, It Has Been Observed That Health Care Providers Have Started Using Mobile Technologies To Seek Timely Peer Opinion On Chest X-ray, Computerized Tomography Images, Lab Results Etc. Given That Most Of Pacific Island Countries And Territories Have Been Using Paper Based Medical Information Such As Health Registry, Patient Record, Patient Encounter And Treatments Plans, Limited It Infrastructure, Lack Of Operational Experience Of Telemedicine, Insufficient Revenue To Establish Telemedicine Platforms In A Country Hinder The Application Of Telemedicine Which Can Help In Connecting Health Care Providers And Patients Who Reside In Remote Areas. During The Covid-19 Public Health Emergency, Pacific Islands Countries Have Taken Steps To Make It Easier To Provide Telehealth Services. Countries Have Established Covid-19 Hotlines And Have Been Encouraged To Provide “telehealth-like” Services To Patients Using Communication Technologies, Such As Commonly Used Apps – Including Facetime, Facebook Messenger, Zoom, Or Skype – For Telehealth Services, Even If The Application Does Not Fully Comply With Hipaa Standards. It Is Therefore Important To Ensure That Digital Health Tools And Systems Are Introduced In A Systematic Manner In The Pacific To Ensure Cost Optimization And Effectiveness.   Purpose/specific Objective Of The Activity With The Support Of The World Health Organization, The Joint Incident Management Team (jimt) For Covid-19 Response In The Pacific, The Contractor Will Provide Technical Assistance Including Hands On Implementation Support On Telehealth. The Purpose Of The Work Is To Conduct Regional And National Assessments, Recommend And Develop A Plan Of How Telemedicine Can Be Effectively Deployed Sustained Nationally And Regionally, And Most Importantly, Collaboratively And Cooperatively, For Immediate Short-terms Needs And For Longer-terms Needs. The Study Must Also Outline The Design Of A Type Of Telemedicine Delivery Systems And Models Based On The Assessment, Existing Evidence And Feasibility For Lower Resource Settings. The Design Should Include Recommendations, Including Aspects Of The Required Hardware, Software And Connectivity, And The Mode Of Operating System And Service Delivery Models At Regional And National Levels. Specifically, The Objectives Are To: • Provide Practical Recommendations And Examples Of Telemedicine And The Least Complicated And Most Cost-effective Platforms To Quickly Implement A Telemedicine Projects During The Pandemic To Maintain Health Service Delivery • Provide Hands On Implementation And Strategic Planning Support For Existing Telehealth Projects In Fiji And Fsm; • Continue Assessing Pacific Islands (sub-regional) And Countries Readiness And Maturity To Implement Telemedicine And Telehealth Services; • Review Relevant Regional, National And Local Regulations And Provide Recommendations Allowing Implementation Of Emergency Style Telehealth Projects; • Outline The Integration Of Telemedicine With National-level Health Services, Particularly Digital Health Services And /guiding Establishment Of National Telemedicine Strategies; And • Identify Best Fit Telemedicine Solutions During The Pandemic Conditions And Scope Of Usage For Small Islands And Populations (who Does Not Endorse Specific Products Or Companies, But Would Like To Facilitate Selection Of Appropriate Platforms Or Tools)   Description Of Activities To Be Carried Out Output/s 1. Country: Fiji                • Technical Support For The Emergency Teledentistry Project With A Focus On Monitoring And Evaluation In Fiji Including Supporting Documentation Of The Lessons Learned • Technical Support For The Emergency Non-communicable Diseases (ncd) Helpline Project With A Focus On Monitoring And Evaluation • Technical And Advisory Support For The Ai Project On Diabetic Retinopathy Screening In Collaboration With Who Ehealth Collaboration Center, Who And The Mhms In Fiji • Technical Support For The Roll Out Of Ncd-related Virtual Training Programmes • Capacity Building For Documentation And Publishing With A Focus To Increase Visibility In The Country And The Pics For Telehealth Solutions • Technical Support For Other Related Ncd Emergency Virtual/telehealth Projects As Needed • Undertaking A Baseline Study For The National Telehealth Readiness Of Fiji (from The Perspective Of Ncd Prevention And Control Programmes) • Care Project On Remote Patient Monitoring In Diabetes In Fiji 2. Country: Federal States Of Micronesia (fsm) • Support For The Definition And Implementation Of A National Telepathology Project • Support For The Definition And Implementation Of A Telemedicine Project With Remote Islands Dispensaries In Pohnpei State 3. Country: Tuvalu • Support For The Definition Of The National Telehealth Strategy And Support Related Projects 4. Country: Vanuatu • Support For The Definition Of The National Telehealth Strategy And Support Related Projects • Undertaking A Baseline Study For The National Telehealth Readiness Of Fiji 5. Regional Approach • Regional Collaboration Mechanism: Establish Regional Collaboration Mechanism Such As Definition Or Tor For The Pacific Telehealth Network (ptn) Or How Telemedicine Could Be Integrated As A Sub-working Group As Part Of The Pacific Health Information Network • Technical Support To Two Other Telehealth Projects From Pacific Islands Countries Not Pre-defined • Facilitate Drafting A Briefing Note On Telemedicine Status For Heads Of Health Including Way Forwards. Outputs: • Participation To The Project Committee Follow-up Meetings And Providing Technical Support For The Project Continuous Improvement • Organisation And Coordination Of Briefing Meetings On Monitoring And Evaluation Methodology With The Project Stakeholders In The Target Countries • Interim Review Of Monitoring Results And Review Of The Pilot Evaluation Reports • Organisation And Coordination Of A Briefing Meeting On The Methodology For A Scientific Abstract And Article Writing With Mohs • Organisation And Coordination Of A Briefing Meeting With National Telehealth Advisory Groups To Support The Definition Of A Communication Plan For Telehealth Activities • Review Of Project Documents And Sops   Qualifications & Experience The Proposed Team Must Have The Following Qualifications: Education Essential:   Degree In Medicine, Public Health, Epidemiology, Health Information Management Or A Related Field Desirable: Master’s Degree And Clinical Background Preferred (clinical Informatics And Medical Degree)   Experience Essential: • Understanding Of The Telemedicine Use In Developing Countries And/or Internationally • Previous Experience On Health Services Delivery In Small Countries/populations In Remote And Low Resources Settings Highly Desired, Especially In The Pacific • Previous Experience With Similar Work On Telemedicine Products • Experience With Pacific Islands Settings • Interoperability And Standards, Including Health Information Exchange Desirable: • Understanding Of Regional Cooperation Mechanisms • Understanding Of Shared Services Models   Technical Skills & Knowledge • broad Understanding Of Digital Health And Telemedicine Infrastructure (e.g. Data Centre, Networks, Hardware) And Application Services. • familiarity With Industry Standard Approaches And Standards For Health Information Exchange And Interoperability. • solid Understanding Of Regulatory Issues Of Technology And Their Impact Across Government And The Country. • in-depth Knowledge Of External Services Provisioning Arrangements, Including Outsourcing. Health Systems Especially Health Service Management. • Strong Critical Thinking, Writing And Presentation Skills.   Languages English   Competencies The Contractor Should Have Demonstrated Experience In Working From Distance   Additional Information Contract Duration: October 4, 2021 - December 31, 2021 Work Arrangement: Remote Payment Schedule: • Workplan Validation: 35% • Deliverable 1 Validation – Project Implementation Support: Output And Outcome Report Including Outputs Such As Reviewed Project Documents And Sops : 30% • Deliverable 2 Validation - Project Implementation Support: Output And Outcome Report Including   Outputs Such As The Draft Pilot Reports: 25% • Deliverable 3: End Of Project Validation: Project Implementation Support Final Report Including Outputs Such As National Telehealth Strategies And Briefing Note For Hoh 10%   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 13 September 2021.  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 Total Cost Estimate And Availability. Please Use Tender Notice No. 140702 As Subject To All Submission. Only Successful Candidates Will Be Contacted.