Germany - Counselling services

Description

Improving Health Care in Tanzania II (IHC2) is the Technical Cooperation module of the German Development Cooperation in the health sector in Tanzania. It is commissioned by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) for the period 04/2023 to 03/2026. It builds on experiences of the project Improving Mother and Child Health (IMCH, 2014-2018) and the first phase of the IHC (IHC1, 2019-2023).The predecessor projects developed an approach to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality, based on the development of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and job aids, training of HCWs, regular mentorships, clinical attachments, provision of essential medical equipment, training on primary equipment maintenance. Both projects contributed to reducing the case fatality rates for selected obstetric complications (IMCH: Lindi and Mtwara regions, IHC1: Mbeya and Tanga regions). They also contributed to reducing facility-based neonatal mortality (IMCH: Lindi and Mtwara; IHC: Mbeya). The IHC programme added capacity development in family planning services to the approach, contributing to an increase in the number of new family planning acceptors in Mbeya and Tanga.IHC2 will implement and further develop this approach. It targets Tanga region with 2.6 million people in 2022, of which about 590,000 live in poverty (23%). Potential beneficiaries are the estimated 730,000 women of reproductive age, of which 181,000 become pregnant each year and 226,000 are between 15 and 24 years. Direct beneficiaries are the 30,000 women who give birth and the 50,000 people who are using FP services every year in 20 selected health facilities. IHC2 will continue working in 8 facilities supported in IHC1 to secure sustained improvements and work in additional 12 new facilities. IHC2 will reach the target group through intermediaries who include health care workers and managers in the selected health facilities and health administrations, educators in school-based youth clubs, and community representatives involved in district and health facility budgeting.The module objective is: "Maternal sexual and reproductive health and newborn health are improved in selected project regions". Progress of the project is measured by the case-fatality rate due to selected obstetric complications, the institutional neonatal mortality rates, the number of couple-years-of protection (CYP) through contraceptives prescribed annually, and the inclusion of implementation experiences from Tanga in national strategies, guidelines, or manuals for service provision.The project has three thematic areas or Outputs: Emergency Obstetric Care and Newborn Health (Output 1); Family Planning (Output 2); Evidence-based Health Service Planning (Output 3).The objective of Output 1 is to improve the performance of selected health facilities in the management of selected obstetric and neonatal complications. The objective of Output 2 is to improve access to youth-friendly family planning services for young people. Lastly, the objective of Output 3 is to improve the quality of the health facilities' planning processes.
IHC2 requires the services of a contractor who can support the capacity development activities in comprehensive emergency obstetric and neonatal care (CEmONC), newborn care and family planning through deployment of long term and short-term experts. The support provided by the experts will contribute to the implementation of IHC2 project activitiesThe contractor is responsible for implementing interventions that will contribute to achieving the module objective and to reaching the targets set for the four indicators measuring progress against the objective, as well contribute to achieving the objectives of Outputs 1 and 2 of the project and to reaching the targets for related Output indicators.Activities will be divided into three work packages. Across the work packages, the contractor shall support indicated partner Hospitals and HCs. through the following types of capacity development measures:(1) Formal training: focused on transmitting knowledge of theory, techniques and practicing competences and skills in a setting away from the place of work; formal trainings should take place in the first year of implementation as far as possible. The contractor may complement own staff with experts from the partner system in the delivery of trainings where possible.(2) On-the-job training and mentorship: focused on refreshing knowledge, practicing competences and skills in a setting in the place of work (incl. simulations and real service provision). Around 25 trained mentors are available in the partner system. These will be available to be part of the mentorship teams. At least one contractor staff should always be part of a mentorship team to further develop capacities of the mentors from the partner system. More mentors are to be trained. Facilities that had been supported in IHC1 are to receive quarterly mentoring visits. For new facilities the same frequency is planned for the first 12 months, with formal trainings to take place between the visits. Once the training programme has been completed, new facilities are to be visited every six weeks.(3) Clinical attachments: attaching a staff from a lower level to a higher-level facility for a certain time period for learning advanced skills from more experienced colleagues(4) Registered courses: Enrolment of selected staff in training programmes finishing with a recognized certificate.(5) Other measures: any other measure, including e.g., peer support networks, advisory services to health centre management and boards.Work Package 1 is on CEmONC. This work package aims at improving the capacity of the supported hospitals and health centres to provide high quality, functional and empathic emergency obstetric care services to pregnant women, their newborns, and families. The services to be provided under this work package contribute to Output 1.Work Package 2 is on Newborn Care. The aim of this work package is to improve the capacity of the selected hospitals and health centres to provide high quality, functional and empathic care for small and sick newborns and to stabilize critically ill neonates before referral. It is anticipated that this will ultimately contribute to reduction of health facility-based newborn deaths from preventable causes. The services to be provided under this work package contribute to Output 1. The same 16 health facilities as in work package 1 will be supported in this work package.Work Package 3 is on Family Planning. The aim of this package is to improve access to youth-friendly family planning services for young people. This includes increasing demand through education and improving the youth-friendliness of health services. The services to be provided under this work package contribute to output 2 (see above). The aim of this package is to improve access to youth-friendly family planning services for young people. This includes increasing demand through education and improving the youth-friendliness of health services. The services to be provided under this work package contribute to output 2 (see above). 16 HFs are to be supported in this Work Package, with a partial overlap with the Work Packages 1 and 2.The contractor is required to take measures to avoid or reduce possible unintended negative results on the environment and climate change, on conflict and human rights, and to support gender equality in its area of responsibility.

Opportunity closing date

18 July 2023

Value of contract

to be confirmed