Provincial Health Extender

Overview of position

• In 2021 an L3 emergency was announced in Afghanistan following change in power in the country. our client Health programme worked with partners to provide essential health services for children and women in need across the country. Services are provided through health facilities and mobile teams for remote, hard-to-reach and in-need areas. Monitoring and technical support are key functions to verify programme implementation and improve the quality of service, including MNCAH, EPI, and especially health in emergency activities in all provinces of the country, as well as at the regional and national levels.
• In addition, in September 2021, the world bank suspended the Sehatmandi project in Afghanistan, this threatens to collapse the health system in the country, our client and WHO have worked to sustain the services through CERF fund until a new mechanism is created. A monitoring framework of this modality is being created including monitoring field visits to health facilities receiving support through our client.
• Also, in 2021, vaccination against COVID 19 started in the country, adding more burden to the already overwhelmed health system, the introduction of new vaccine targeting different population groups, required another additional monitoring framework and tools to track the progress and ensue quality and equity.
• Objective: Extenders are expected to carry out a range of duties, as outlined below, to support monitoring functions, demand generation, accountability to affected population mechanisms, technical facilitation and programme implementation.
• Those duties, which are described in detail below, do not include neither programmatic nor financial authority. Extenders are identified among Afghani citizens with specific expertise and a thorough knowledge of the territory in which they operate, based on their residency and/or work experience.
• Due to the current emergency situation in the county and the growing needs in all areas (total health PiN in 2022 is 18.4 M) which led to a quick increase of emergency activities supported by our client, and due to the difficult geographical nature of Afghanistan and the lack of transportation infrastructure and the remoteness of many communities, which make access and monitoring a challenge in many areas. The need of our client extenders network to complement our client efforts in such areas (difficult to access by staff) is critical to achieve the programme goals. Extenders are engaged through a third-party Service Provider that is directly responsible for the administrative and security related aspects of the Extenders deployment, while our client is responsible for financial support, technical guidance and supervision.
• Accordingly, the Extenders will be contracted by a Service Provider and will be considered a staff of the contracting company for all purposes and in all circumstances. The Extenders will not be considered a our client staff member or consultant. As such, our client will not be directly or indirectly responsible for the Extenders while implementing this Terms of Reference (TOR).
• Based on the approved RWP, our client is supporting MNCAH and EPI services in the country and working to improve coordination, develop policies, strategies, and guidelines, support implementation and monitoring of activities. extenders are tasked to facilitate and support our client programme activities implementation and monitoring tasks that cannot be done by our client staff due to accessibility, security, and scale. Which make extenders modality the most reliable and efficient way to support those tasks.
• Extender will be based at their area of responsibility, and usually selected from communities in same area for easy mobility and to reduce security risks, and transportation time and cost. These extenders are not given task that is supposed to be done normally by our client staff.

Role objectives

TASK TO BE PERFORMED

• Conduct regular situation monitoring in specific areas based on requests by the programme or Zonal Office, to assess the overall humanitarian situation and document the needs of affected populations, in particular women and children health needs.
• Provide technical services to our client projects primarily in hard-to-reach areas, through ensuring regular and systematic technical advice, quality assurance and technical guidance to implementing partners and counterparts, for the efficient implementation of our client programmes and effective achievement of results for the benefit of Afghani children and women.
• Identify capacity and technical gaps of implementing partners and counterparts and provide technical support to ensure capacity building and on job training as needed.
• Support the implementation of Mobile Health and Nutrition Teams (MHNT) supported by our client through technical support and capacity building, and monitor the service implementation and quality. and work with partners at the provincial level to improve MHNT programme results.
• Monitor the work of health facilities supported through our client CERF and other funds using the common checklists and tools.
• Support EPI programme routine immunization activities including -but not limited to- service delivery, cold chain system, vaccine and non-vaccine supplies, information system.
• Support emergency preparedness and response activities implementation and monitoring.
• Report any suspected PSEA case directly to the responsible our client focal point and inform the programme specialist.
• Report any suspected fraud case to the Zonal programme specialist or relevant our client staff.
• Coordinate the monthly working\monitoring plan with the regional extender, and share the progress and visits repots on timely manner.
• Participating in PHCC, Staff meeting with SP, EPI sub comettee and relvent meetings.

Conduct regular visits to monitor Health programme activities supported by our client, and facilitate our client staff programmatic visits, with a focus on:

• Assessing programme implementation by Implementing Partners through PCAs (Programme Cooperation Agreements) and SSFAs (Small-Scale Funding Agreements) as well as programme implementation by partners and agencies according to the our client Afghanistan Country Office Work Plans.
• Checking EPI supplies chain systems and equipment in place and their functionality status, including following SOPs in vaccine storage and utilization.
• Supporting Health information system and data registration reviews and assessments, and the implementation of Data Quality Improvement plans and microplanning activities.
• Verifying health supplies are delivered to target beneficiaries in line with relevant programme documents and flag any delays and bottlenecks.
• Conducting post-distribution monitoring (PDM) of supplies to assess beneficiaries’ feedback in terms of the quality, timeliness and relevance of supplies delivered. Other end-user monitoring of specific programmes will be conducted as required by the Zonal Office.
• Collecting direct feedback form beneficiaries and affected population about the situation and needs, and the suitability of the services provided and how to improve.

DELIVERABLE(s)

• Provincial need assessment for implementation of mobile health teams completed
• Monthly monitoring of mobile health and nutrition teams service delivery points conducted.
• Monthly report of availability of ORS/Zinc stock with CHWs submitted
• Coordination, and monitoring of community mobilization/engagement activities facilitated
• Need assessment of CHWs training for target provinces completed
• Training of CHWs supported by our client monitored
• Routine EPI monitoring checklists completed and reported (this checklist includes all components of Routine EPI).
• Oriented on new RI activities e.g., accelerated immunization, Measles interventions, awareness raising activities (IEC, media broadcast, etc.).
• Percentage of HFs equipped with SDDs reported.
• Emergency need assessment of emergency affected areas completed
• Our client supported emergency activities monitored including HF under the Sahatmandi CERF support.
• Field visits implemented and reported timely with the required quality.
• Situation monitoring reports and needs assessment data is provided.
• Programme monitoring reports are developed and shared with zonal office programme officers\specialists and reginal health extender including progress information, gaps and challenges, supplies monitoring, and beneficiaries’ feedback.
• Partner’s capacity in area of extender technical expertise is built.

Project reporting

This role reports to the line manager.

Key competencies

Minimum Qualification and Experience:

• Having certificate in health, medicine, public health, nursing, midwife or related field.
• Minimum of 2 years of experience in in health, medicine, public health, nurse, midwife or related field.
• Proficiency in data analysis and interpretation.
• Excellent communication skills for effective collaboration with healthcare professionals and stakeholders.
• Proven ability to contribute to the enhancement of health programs through data-driven insights.
• Reporting skills

Team management

This role has no team management responsibility.

Further information

Qualified female candidates are encouraged to apply for this role.