National Consultant (Malaria Mortality Audit and Rapid Appraisal) at Malaria Consortium

Established in 2003, Malaria Consortium is one of the world’s leading non-profit organisations specialising in the prevention, control and treatment of malaria and other communicable diseases among vulnerable populations. Our mission is to save lives and improve health in Africa and Asia, through evidence-based programmes that combat targeted diseases and promote universal health coverage.

Malaria Consortium works with communities, government and non-government agencies, academic institutions, and local and international organisations, to ensure good evidence supports delivery of effective services, providing technical support for monitoring and evaluation of programmes and activities for evidence-based decision-making and strategic planning.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: National Consultant (Malaria Mortality Audit and Rapid Appraisal)

Location: Kano
Employment Type: Contract

Purpose of the assignment
This assignment aims to conduct a rapid appraisal of severe malaria case management practices in selected health facilities in Kano State, including one public hospital, one private hospital, a PHC, and a private laboratory. The objectives are:

• To understand current case management practices, their integration with core malaria interventions, and how they align within the broader health system.
• To conduct a focused mortality audit at Murtala Mohammed Hospital to identify factors contributing to severe malaria-related fatalities.
• The insights and findings from this assignment will be used to inform the development of advocacy tools aimed at improving severe malaria case management in Kano State.

Scope of the assignment

• The scope of this assignment includes the assessment of health facilities, encompassing both public and private sectors within Kano State. The assessment will extend to key departments, including Emergency Units, Paediatric Wards, Laboratories, and Pharmacies. Active engagement with hospital administrators, healthcare providers, and the SMEP will be maintained to ensure a comprehensive evaluation.

Specific Tasks

• Receive briefing from MC to clarify ambiguities in ToR.
• Develop and finalize a mini protocol for the rapid appraisal and mortality audit.
• Adapt and finalize the checklist and data abstraction forms.
• Select the health facilities, in consultation with the state MoH/SMEP.
• Support establishing a working group consisting of all departments involved in delivering care (admissions doctors, nursing staff, lab etc.) to develop objectives and indicators.
• Collect data through hospital records and key informant interviews.
• Analyze data to identify patterns, challenges, and gaps in severe malaria case management.
• Provide a summary of findings and recommendations to MC and stakeholders.
• Prepare technical report on the assignment as detailed in the deliverables.

Deliverables

• Draft protocol for the rapid appraisal and audit including data analysis plan.
• Finalized checklist and forms.
• Clean data sets on hospital assessment, data abstraction and KII
• One page summary of findings and recommendations.
• Draft and final report submitted to the Staff Technical Lead and relevant stakeholders.

Personnel Requirements

• Minimum of a Medical Degree and Master’s Degree in Public Health.
• At least 10 years’ experience post-qualification experience in clinical practice and malaria programming.
• Experience in conducting independent project and programme evaluations, surveys, assessments, and mortality case reviews is required.
• Demonstrable ability in data analysis, interpretation and report writing skills.
• Working knowledge of severe malaria management is a requirement.
• Stakeholder management skills and competencies and willingness to work under time pressure.

Timeline for assignment:

• The timeline for the assignment is April - May 2024

Application Closing Date
22nd April, 2024.

Method of Application
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online

Note

• Applicants who do not follow this specification will be disqualified.
• Only Shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
• Kindly note that applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and as a result, the application process may conclude before the advertised deadline. Therefore, early applications are highly encouraged.
• NB: Malaria Consortium does not accept or ask for payment during recruitment. We also would not accept hardcopy CVs; all applications should be sent through the above link.