According to United Nations (UN) estimates, Sierra Leone has the highest maternal mortality ratio (MMR) of 1,360 deaths per 100,000 live births and 1 in 17 women have a lifetime risk of dying during pregnancy or childbirth.

Out of a total of 706 maternal deaths reported in 2016, 80% were in health facilities with the leading causes of death being haemorrhage, hypertension disorders and sepsis. Recent country reports show that out of a total of 218,818 live births reported in health facilities in the country 5,608 were stillbirths, which translates to a rate of 25.7 per 1,000 live births. Nearly half of the stillbirths were fresh stillbirths; indicating suboptimal intrapartum care. This is due to inadequacies in the quality of care provided in health facilities. The evidence shows that high maternal, perinatal, neonatal and child mortality rates are associated with inadequate and poor quality health services.

The Health Sector Recovery Plan calls for the establishment of six Centres of Excellence (CoE) for maternal, newborn and child health care and nutrition with the aim to reduce maternal, newborn and child mortality through improvements in quality of care. Centers of excellence (CoEs) are created in various healthcare settings to signify that exceptional quality of service can be provided. CoEs for women’s health services have proven to be a successful approach for delivering high-quality care and have helped to raise the profile of women’s health issues and improve outcomes.

This consultancy is aimed at providing technical support to the UNFPA CO and the MoHS for the implementation of quality of care interventions in the country.

Main objective of the consultancy

The main objective of this consultancy is to provide quality technical support for the implementation of maternal and newborn health quality of care initiatives being implemented by UNFPA and the MoHS

Specific objectives are:

• To support the implementation of quality improvement interventions being implemented by UNFPA and MoHS
• To support the implementation of activities of CUAMM as an IP supporting quality improvement in three Centres of Excellence (CoEs)
• To support implementation of the quality improvement and reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health interventions of the Saving Lives in Sierra Leone programme (SLiSL)
• To provide technical assistance for the readiness and functionality of the newly constructed CEmONC hospitals at Rokupa and King Harman.

Activities:

The consultant is required to:

• Support the implementation of quality improvement interventions in selected facilities including the CoEs (Bo, Makeni , PCMH and Jui)
• Support the development of improvement plans for the  CoEs based on gaps identified in needs assessment
• Support the implementation of improvement plans the CoEs
• Monitor the implementation of activities of CUAMM as an IP supporting quality improvement activities in 3  CoEs
• Support implementation of the quality improvement and RMNCAH interventions of the SLiSL programme
• Work with key partners to ensure the newly constructed  King Harman and Rokupa Hospitals are functional and ready to provide quality maternal and newborn care
• Work closely with the MOHS and other UN partners on quality of care activities including the network
• Support collaboration with the country office staff members to promote integrated approaches to improving maternal and newborn health

Delivery dates and how work will be delivered:

Beginning 17 June, 2019, the final deliverables pertaining to these activities are due by 30 November  2019.

• Weekly updates on progress made in implementing QI interventions and CoEs
• A monthly report on the implementation of QI interventions in UNFPA and the MoHS
• Final report of the consultancy due on 30^th November 2019

Qualifications and Experience

• Master’s degree in Public Health, Medicine, Sociology, Demography, or other related field;
• Experience in RH programme management. Familiarity with the ICPD agenda will be an added advantage;
• Has experience working with a wide set of stakeholders on UNFPA areas of mandate including health care management, and RMNCAH;
• 10 years of increasingly responsible professional experience with strong technical knowledge in the field of quality improvement and standard development;
• Experience working in Sierra Leone or a similar West African context is essential;
• Previous experience in working with the UN is a strong asset;
• Fluency in oral and written English
• Ability to work independently
• Fluency in English, verbal and written.

 How to Apply:

• All applications (CV and cover letter) including their technical proposal, with "Consultant: Quality of Care Interventions" in the subject, should be sent to the email address registry-sl@unfpa.org at latest by 10 June 2019.