Consultant at the National AIDS, Sexually Transmitted Infections Control and Hepatitis Programme (NASCP)

The National AIDS, Sexually Transmitted Infections Control and Hepatitis Programme (NASCP) is a division of the Department of Public Health, in the Nigeria Federal Ministry of Health (FMH). The concept of NASCP and its mandate is to coordinate the formulation and effective implementation of the Nigeria government policies, guidelines and standard operating procedures for the prevention of new HIV infections as well as improve on the existing treatment, care and support for those persons already infected and affected by the virus in the country.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Consultant for the Development of the National Framework and Strategic Documents for the Implementation of the Triple Elimination

Location: Abuja, Nigeria
Start Date: Monday, March 03 2025.
Job Type: Contract
Duration: 88 working days

Background

• Vertical transmission of HIV, syphilis, and Hepatitis B virus (HBV) remains a critical public health challenge worldwide, significantly contributing to high morbidity and mortality rates among infants and pregnant women.
• There are available feasible and effective interventions to prevent vertical transmission of these infections, making their elimination a realistic goal.
• Achieving the elimination of vertical transmission would reduce pediatric infections and the associated long-term health burdens, such as congenital syphilis, neonatal and childhood AIDS, as well as liver cirrhosis and liver cancer in adulthood.
• Despite the availability of these interventions, global coverage remains low, with significant disparities in policy implementation, service delivery, and health outcomes across countries, region, and sub-regions for these individual diseases, for example, the HIV response has made impressionable progress compared with Syphilis and VH.
• Consequently, many infants are still born with or acquire these preventable infections, resulting in unnecessary and preventable morbidity and mortality. The Triple Elimination initiative aims to leverage existing healthcare platforms to achieve elimination milestones for HIV, syphilis, and HBV.
• Given that the critical interventions needed to prevent transmission are similar for all three infections, an integrated approach to eliminating mother-to-child transmission (EMTCT) is of utmost benefits.
• Common elements of these interventions include primary prevention through prophylaxis and safe sex practices, family planning to assess fertility intentions, support pregnancy planning, and prevent unintended pregnancies, antenatal care (ANC) testing to identify pregnant women at risk, lifelong treatment and care for mothers living with HIV, as well as treatment for HBV or syphilis for eligible women, safe childbirth with skilled health professionals to prevent transmission during delivery, follow-up care for exposed infants, including the administration of the HBV birth dose and monitoring for early signs of infection.
• Building on an integrated maternal and child health (MCH) platform, the triple elimination initiative hopes to operationalize Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in the context of integrated communicable disease prevention.
• The UHC model facilitates the consolidation of EMTCT efforts for HIV, syphilis, and HBV into a unified strategy for triple elimination of vertical transmission. In Nigeria, vertical transmission of HIV, Syphilis and Viral hepatitis remain a concern despite ongoing efforts to improve maternal and child health outcomes.
• Current interventions have primarily focused on individual diseases however, there is a growing need to adopt an integrated strategy that addresses all three diseases.

Responsibilities
Objectives:

• Lead the conduct a rapid assessment of EMTCT interventions, targets and gaps
• Lead the development of the triple elimination framework, National and 4GF state plans.

Purpose of the assignment:

• The purpose of this assignment is to lead the conduct a rapid analysis of EMTCT targets/ gaps and the development of the triple elimination framework, National implementation and 4GF state operational plans; and a research agenda.

Scope of the Assignment:

• It is expected that the consultants retained for this assignment will develop a detailed roadmap/work plan/Gantt chart for its implementation.
• Conduct a desk review of available strategic documents to facilitate delivery of work.
• To implement, s/he will meet with the necessary government agencies and departments at the federal and state levels.
• Arrange the documents in print ready format.
• Facilitate the conduct of consensus workshops with all the relevant stakeholders as necessary.

Reporting:

• Complies with technical, progress, and compliance reporting requirements in accordance with FMoH regulations, policies, and procedures.

Qualifications & Skills
Key Competence and Expertise:

• Advanced university degree in Medicine, public health and/or international development.
• Ten (10) years of progressive professional work experience in programme and social development, HIV/AIDS, Syphilis and Viral hepatitis
• Evidence of designing a programme with multi stakeholders (donors, civil societies, government agencies, etc) involvement at the highest level to ensure uninterrupted programme design and development.
• Knowledge of HIV/AIDS, Syphilis and Viral hepatitis response, or working with organizations addressing HIV is required
• Overall technical, management and leadership skills in proposal development for Health, Social Protection, Humanitarian, and related programmes.
• Technical and strategic innovative insight to inform programme design and implementation in line with current Global and National Development realities.
• Evidence of previous experience in conducting a rapid assessment of similar intervention
• Evidence of knowledge and experience on Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights
• Evidence of previous work on implementation science to guide the research agenda development
• Excellent writing and oral communication skills in English
• Advanced computer skills in common office programmes (MS Word, Excel PowerPoint, etc.) and good knowledge of information management.

Application Closing Date
27th February, 2025, 00:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time).

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should submit two (2) hard copies (one original & one copy) of the complete set of Proposal Documents and Term of Reference (ToR) in English Language. The original Proposal and the copy should be put in one (1) envelope each, the envelopes shall then be enclosed and sealed in one (1) single outer envelope, and clearly marked at the topmost right corner “Consultant for the Development of the National Framework and Strategic Documents for the Implementation of the Triple Elimination Startegy for vertical Transmission of HIV, Syphilis, and HBV in Nigeria’’ and the Name, Address, Email and Phone Number of the Consultant boldly written at the back of the envelope, with acknowledgement to NASCP office at the address below:
Deputy Director (PSM),
National AIDS/STIs Control Programme,
Edo House, 75 Ralph Shoidende Street,
Central Business District, Garki,
Abuja.

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