Globalportalen

Swedish Committee for Afghanistan is looking for a short term
Consultant for Evaluation of Drug Management
 
Terms of reference

1. Background
Swedish Committee for Afghanistan (SCA) has been active in the health sector of Afghanistan for over 25 years. Throughout this time, SCA has been involved in drug management activities aiming at ensuring regular and continuous supply of quality drugs and other medical supplies to SCA supported health facilities.
Since the end of 2009, SCA has been awarded with MoPH contracts for delivery of Basic Package of Health Services (BPHS) in 4 provinces of Afghanistan. There is a strong need to assess existing drug management procedures and to identify the strengths, weaknesses and problematic areas, related to drug management, which will ultimately result in improvement and effectiveness of health care services. Availability of sufficient quality drugs and medical supplies and their rational prescription and distribution is a key requirement and is one of the priorities in health care. It is not only an important indicator for the BPHS performance according to the MoPH, but also it has a far reaching influence on the utilization of health services and satisfaction of beneficiaries.

In addition, SCA is keen to ensure that drug management processes at all levels are free of potential leakages and corrupted practices that affect the image of the health programme as well as the reputation of the Organisation.
 
2. Objective:
The objectives of the consultancy mission are:
 
- to assess SCA’s drug management cycle at central, project and health facility levels and the adequacy of SCA’s management support to the drug procurement and management cycle, and

- to recommend required appropriate changes in order to increase the effectiveness of SCA’s drug procurement and management system

- in line with recommended changes, conduct training session to SCA staff (Central Health Management Unit, Project Management Unit and Provincial Health Directorate).
 
This consultancy will provide a comprehensive review of SCA’s drug management system, its performance and areas of weaknesses and strengths. The study will provide solid appropriate recommendations to improve current drug management cycle, increase financial efficiency of the system, stronger contribution to the quality of health services and firm security for the supplies against potential corrupted practices.
In this regard, the consultant will focus on the following issues:

1. Selection:
- Whether SCA’s lists of medicines comply with the BPHS drug list and to study the effects of likely deviations from the BPHS list
- Whether the Organisation shows commitment to use generic medicines
- Whether selection procedures and decisions consider the various levels of BPHS care delivery
- Whether the procurement demand is sufficiently bottom-up driven based on verified needs at health facility level.
 
2. Procurement:
 
- To reassess the basis of estimating drug requirements in both type and quantity
- To study appropriateness of measures undertaken to ensure quality of drugs
- To examine systems and measures for quality control and inspection
- To assess procurement capacity in the event of emergencies.
 
3. Distribution/Supply/Accountability:
 
- Review current pattern of drug distribution and medical supply to see its regularity and availability at health facility level
- Appropriate storage facilities and current practices for stock management at central, project and health facility levels
- Study management procedures for expired medicines at central and health facility levels
- Potential leakage and corruption control measures at central, project and health facility levels
 
4. Use of drugs:
 
- Assess prescribing skills and preferences of health workers and find out to what extent there is adherence to accepted national protocols and standards of rational drug use. If over-prescription takes place, assess and analyse the reasons and conclude on possible remedies
- Assess communication with patients by health workers in regards with drug use
- To assess the extent to which national treatment protocols are implemented by projects and health facilities.
 
5. Organisational Support
 - To assess technical expertise of medical logistics available at central and project level levels
- To assess financial management and its role in ensuring regular drug supply
- To assess drug information management system
- To assess presence or absence of drug management support tools
 
3. Methods
The methodology for the consultancy includes, but not limited to:
- Review relevant documents, including registration books, guidelines, formats, internal and external studies, as well as software and computer data and information, project and health facility levels
- Discussions with SCA Management, Health Management Unit, Operations Department, Kabul Management Office Procurement and Supply Unit, the logistics units of BPHS projects, the BPHS management teams and Provincial Health Directorates (PHD).
- To visit other BPHS implementers
 
4. Activities
- The consultant will work with Health Management Unit, Operations Department, BPHS NGOs, BPHS projects, PHD and have discussion with SCA management and the Finance Department
- The consultant will visit SCA’s BPHS projects
- At the end of the mission, the consultant will debrief SCA management and discuss the findings and the recommendations of his/her mission
- The consultant will produce a draft written report to SCA, receive comments, and thereafter submit a final report.
- The consultant will have training sessions on the drug management focusing on rational drug distribution to the health professionals mainly project management team, health supervisors and Central Health Management Unit and PHDs. The consultant will also suggest appropriate drug management tools and guidelines.
 
SCA will be responsible for facilitating the mission of the consultant. SCA will provide the consultant with transportation, accommodation in Kabul and in the project locations in addition to a translator during visits to health facilities.
 
5. Team Members, Roles & Responsibilities
BPHS project managers and Medical logistician will be the counterparts of the consultant responsible for facilitating the consultant’s work.
 
6. Deliverables & Due Dates
The consultant will allocate a maximum of 30 working days for this assignment and produce a draft report to be submitted to the Country Director of SCA, not more than two weeks after the end of the assignment. After receiving SCA’s comments on the initial report, the consultant will produce the final report within a week. The report will be no longer than 30 pages, including an executive summary of maximum 4 pages.
 
Application Procedures
An application/bid should include a draft evaluation plan and attached costs. The applicant should describe her/his merits in a short CV and if asked be prepared to give references. For clarifications of the content in the above ToR questions could be sent to Director of Programmes Andreas Stefansson, andreas.stefansson@sca.org.af
 
Send your application/bid with CV, by e-mail, to: application.sca@sak.se

Closing date is March 26, 15.00 GMT.
 
More information about SCA can be found on our web site

http://www.swedishcommittee.org/
www.swedishcommittee.org