Consultant to Support the Development of An accelerated Introduction and Comprehensive Scale-up Plan for DMPA SC, Freetown, Sierra Leone

Purpose:

UNFPA Supplies Partnership, through its Transformative Action Funding Stream, supports assistance to address barriers to availability and access for the hardest-to-reach women and girls, including efforts to introduce new commodities or expansion of new and lesser-used ones. Such support attempts to allow actions to maximize the impact of commodity availability with the aim of bridging to other partners to take up the activities and further improve access and use.

In this regard, as part of the 2022 UNFPA Supplies Partnership Workplan, UNFPA Sierra Leone Country Office and the Ministry of Health and Sanitation planned to support the development of an Accelerated Introduction and Comprehensive Scale-up Plan for one of the lesser-used contraceptive methods, i.e., Subcutaneous Depot Medroxyprogesterone Acetate (DMPA SC).

Hence, the purpose of this consultancy service is to support the Ministry of Health and Sanitation in the development of an Accelerated Introduction and Comprehensive Scale-up Plan for Subcutaneous Depot Medroxyprogesterone Acetate (DMPA SC).

Background:

Injectable contraceptives are an important option for preventing pregnancy, chosen by many women worldwide for their safe and effective protection, convenience, and privacy. In Sierra Leone, they are the most commonly used modern contraceptive methods accounting for 42.6 percent according to the 2019 Sierra Leone Demographic Health Survey. There are three types of injectable contraceptives used in Sierra Leone: a) intramuscular DMPA, b) DMPA SC, and c) intramuscular Norethisterone Enanthate. Currently, DMPA SC accounts for less than 10 percent of the total uptake of injectable contraceptives in the country.

The DMPA SC is an all-in-one presentation of the traditional intramuscular DMPA, a lower-dose formulation of Medroxyprogesterone acetate presented in the form of a small, light, and easy-to-use Uniject injection system. It has been included in Sierra Leone’s National Essential Medicines List since the year 2018.

DMPA SC requires minimal training, making it especially suitable for community-based distribution and for women to administer themselves through self-injection. Experiences in other countries show expansion of the method can further improve women’s access to family planning options by increasing opportunities for lower-level health workers -and even clients themselves- to administer injections.

The Ministry of Health and Sanitation of Sierra Leone introduced DMPA SC in 2018. So far; a) training contents have been integrated into the national FP provider training package; b) embraced in the national periodic needs assessment, forecast, and supply planning of contraceptive supplies; c) integrated into Sierra Leone’s Health Management Information System (DHIS2); d) through service providers’ training and supply of the product, close to hundred public health facilities have started to offer the method.

However, the country is yet to develop a comprehensive plan to guide the continued introduction of the method to hard-to-reach areas and its scale-up. Given the complexity of new product introduction and scale-up, there is a high risk that planning, and implementation will be stalled without a clear plan for engagement and coordination among the Ministry of Health and Sanitation, civil society organizations, and other partners.

Hence, through a consultative process, the consultant is expected to deliver an Accelerated Introduction and Scale-up Plan which will consist of, but is not limited to, the following key areas:

1. Policy: assess the current policy around options and requirements and develop policies for: a) vertical scale-up meaning the integration of DMPA SC into existing guidelines and policies; b) horizontal scale-up (e.g., moving DMPA SC beyond static facilities to the community level)

2. Service expansion:

   1. design tailored strategies for the expansion of the service through remote and community level channels including through communication and outreach efforts as well as reaching new users (in new and previously reached geographies) to contribute to reaching the unmet need

   2. explore a variety of public and private delivery channels and propose/develop the required interventions (i.e., training, supervision, communication) to support and sustain access for young women and adolescent girls

   3. explore the potential of private-sector channels and propose/develop strategies to increase access through these channels

3. Training and supervision:

   1. assess the training needs throughout the family planning delivery system including for key players such as supervisors and outreach workers

   2. assess the existing capacity to train (master trainers) and propose/develop strategies for improvement

   3. assess the existing training curriculum and include recommendations on the design of training materials that suits the context and the needs of current and potential trainees (including community health workers) while emphasizing the prioritization of informed choice (i.e., DMPA SC is one option among many)

   4. propose/develop tailored strategies for supervision (who will conduct supervision, how, often, and using what approaches) while considering existing integrated supervisory plans within the Directorate of Reproductive and Child Health

4. Demand generation: devise communication approaches for generating demand (e.g., outreach to social and religious groups, community theatre dramas, toll-free hotlines, print materials, radio, health workers for interpersonal communication, etc.)

5. Supply chain: assess the current DMPA SC in-country supply chain system and recommend areas for improvement

6. Monitoring: assess the current monitoring system and propose/develop plans to address challenges on indicator definition, data collection, approaches to capture contributions of peripheral channels, and training on monitoring tools and systems.

Activities:

1. Compile and conduct a rapid review of available publications and resources to inform diagnostics and planning for accelerated introduction and scale-up of DMPA SC in Sierra Leone.

2. Outline: a) the proposed approach to the whole exercise; b) develop a detailed activity plan consisting of timeline, mode of engagement, activities, tasks, and deliverables; c) proposed outline of the final Accelerated Introduction and Scale-up Plan.

3. Review the global DMPA SC practice as well as Sierra Leone’s current state and tease out achievements and shortfalls in DMPA SC programming to date: key areas will include (but are not limited to): policy, service expansion, training, and supervision, demand generation, supply chain, monitoring, and evaluation (as elaborated above)

4. Use findings to design questionnaire/guidelines for stakeholder consultations and plan for stakeholder consultation

5. Complete the first round of consultation to inform diagnostics and the comprehensive plan development (this can be done virtually)

6. Present, review, and validate findings and key issues to be addressed by the comprehensive plan

7. Share the first draft of the plan

8. Plan for a validation workshop

9. Conduct validation workshop

10. Incorporate feedback and share the final draft

Monitoring and progress control:

The consultant will work closely with the Task Team formed by the National Family Planning Technical Working Group composed of representatives from the Directorate of Reproductive and Child Health (DRCH), Directorate of Pharmaceutical Services, National Medical Supplies Agency, WHO, Jhpiego, Clinton Health Access Initiative, Marie Stopes Sierra Leone, Planned Parenthood Association of Sierra Leone and UNFPA.

Weekly update meetings will be held with the UNFPA FP/RHCS, UNFPA QA team, and the Directorate of Reproductive and Child Health team of the MoHS to ensure timely completion of the deliverables during the period of consultancy.

The consultant will further hold a debriefing session on key deliverables with the senior management team members of the UNFPA Sierra Leone Country Office. 

Qualifications and Experience:

Education:

• Master’s degree in public health or related field plus a minimum of seven years of professional experience.

Experience:

• Experience in consulting and delivering time-bound results in global/public health and particularly in the field of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Family Planning.
• Experience in working in African countries; experience working with Ministries of Health is preferred.
• Knowledge of the family planning service delivery environment in Sierra Leone or a similar context is preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to produce clear written materials, track the progress of activities, and communicate information strategically to a national and global audience.
• Ability to work in a highly collaborative environment and as part of a cross-disciplinary team operating in multiple locations.
• Experience in stakeholder engagement and management approaches.
• Strong analytical orientation and sound judgment; initiative, culturally sensitive, and resourceful.
• Excellent facilitation, verbal communication skills required, and ability to conduct consultative meetings.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to interact with national and global partners and provide creative solutions in a professional manner.
• Proficiency in current office software applications.
• Fluency in spoken English and excellent writing skills in English required.

Required Competencies:

Compensation:

The compensation for this position is based on acceptance of deliverables in line with the prevailing UN Consultancy scale upon satisfactory performance

Mode of application:

Interested candidates are invited to apply to the email address sierra-leone.office@unfpa.org

not later than 11 July 2022 including:

-  Motivational letter

-  CV (including working experience and references)

-  Copy of certificate(s)

- Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted

UNFPA Work Environment

UNFPA provides a work environment that reflects the values of gender equality, teamwork, Embracing diversity in all its forms, integrity, and a healthy balance of work and life. We are committed to maintaining our balanced gender distribution and promoting equal opportunities for all.

We, therefore, encourage women and persons with disabilities to apply.

Disclaimer:

UNFPA does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing, or other fees in connection with the application or recruitment process. Fraudulent notices, letters, or offers may be submitted to the UNFPA.