TORs: National Junior STTA – Research Associate (2 positions)

Technical Support to Department of Health in Operationalising a Health Data Governance Mechanism to Promote Data Driven Decision-Making 

Programme

Evidence for Health (E4H) is a Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO)-funded programme aimed at strengthening Pakistan's healthcare system, thereby decreasing the burden of illness and saving lives. E4H provides technical assistance (TA) to the Federal, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), and Punjab governments, and is being implemented by Palladium along with Oxford Policy Management (OPM).

Through its flexible, embedded, and demand-driven model, E4H supports the government to achieve a resilient health system that is prepared for health emergencies, responsive to the latest evidence, and delivers equitable, quality, and efficient healthcare services. Specifically, E4H delivers TA across three outputs:

Output 1: Strengthened integrated health security, with a focus on preparing and responding to health emergencies, including pandemics.

Output 2: Strengthened evidence-based decision-making to drive health sector performance and accountability.

Output 3: Improved implementation of Universal Health Coverage, with a focus on ending preventable deaths.

E4H works in partnership with the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations & Coordination (M/o NHSR&C) at the Federal level, and the Health Department in KP.

Background and Problem Statement

• The Department of Health (DOH) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) is committed to promoting data-driven decision-making by enhancing data quality, availability, and analytics through innovative and sustainable technological solutions, aiming to achieve the health sector goals, objectives, and outcomes for the population of KP.
• Despite strong support from partners, previous efforts to develop and implement action plans for Health Information Systems (HIS) did not reach satisfactory levels of implementation to effectively support evidence-based decision-making.
• This lack of a unified direction and plan within the DOH KP highlights the pressing need for a clear data governance mechanism to synchronize and lead all initiatives from donors and development partners effectively.
• The health information system in KP faces persistent challenges at the provincial and district levels, which hinder effective information utilization. Key issues include inadequate analytical capabilities at various levels and insufficient monitoring and review processes. Furthermore, the lack of a centralized structure or database for critical systems such as the Human Resource Management Information System (HRMIS), District Health Information System (DHIS), and Financial Management Information System (FMIS), combined with the absence of a unified mechanism for establishing information frameworks, significantly affects the quality and use of information. This impacts all levels of health sector policy, strategy, planning, and implementation.
• Although the Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) unit within the Director General Health Services (DGHS) office has been established and a restructuring plan agreed upon, its implementation could not be achieved due to capacities and priorities issues within the DOH in this domain.

Specific Objectives

The specific objective of this technical support is to assist the DOH in implementing the data governance mechanism and executing the roadmap to enhance HIS within the province.

Scope of Work

The team is tasked with carrying out the following activities:

1. Consolidating existing roadmaps, action plans, and data governance mechanisms to establish a foundation for support.
2. Facilitating the establishment of data governance mechanisms by notifying steering and coordination platforms.
3. Supporting the organization of regular meetings for steering and coordination platforms, including agenda preparation, presentations, minutes drafting, decision follow-up, and implementation support. The first meeting will involve seeking approval for the HIS strengthening roadmap developed under the E4H programme.
4. Assisting in prioritizing strategic actions based on DOH requirements and developing an implementation plan for the prioritized roadmap actions. The team will also assist the data governance mechanism in formulating and implementing an agreed framework for decision-making across different levels of the DOH.
5. Collaborating with the DOH and E4H Program team in KP to identify short-term technical assistance projects essential for the smooth execution of the roadmap. Also, the team will assist the DOH in identifying technical assistance projects for other development partners involved in various aspects of health system.
6. Providing analytical support to the M&E unit to meet the priority information needs of the Health Minister's office and different DOH units.
7. Supporting the data governance mechanism in devising and executing a consensus-based framework for decision-making across different levels of the DOH.
8. Collaborating with the DOH to work with the "donors and development partners coordination mechanism" to align investments from development partners with the strategic investments outlined in the roadmap.
9. Assisting the M&E unit and Health Sector Reform Unit (HSRU) in developing policies, standard operating procedures (SOPs), and guidelines for data governance at various levels.

Deliverables:

The team of consultants responsible for this assignment is expected to diligently work towards the completion of the deliverables outlined in the project scope

1. Develop a work plan for the technical assistance project, detailing specific milestones, level of efforts, and deliverables with timeline.
2. Develop a prioritized work plan for executing the roadmap aimed at strengthening HIS.
3. Establish the functionality of the steering and coordination mechanism for the HIS roadmap.
4. Present monthly progress updates to FCDO in accordance with the established work plan and roadmap for HIS strengthening.
5. Prepare a summary report highlighting the progress made in the implementation of TA over the past six months.

Timeline and LOE

The level of effort for the role is 108 working days for each, from July 2024 to December 2024

Requirements

 Technical expertise

• Knowledge of qualitative data analysis techniques such as thematic analysis, content analysis, and narrative analysis.
• Ability to analyse qualitative data using software tools like NVivo or ATLAS.ti to identify themes, patterns, and trends.
• Understanding of statistical analysis methods including descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, regression analysis, and hypothesis testing.
• Experience in using statistical software to perform data manipulation, visualization, and interpretation of quantitative findings.
• Proficiency in writing reports, briefs, and presentations that communicate research findings, methodologies, and implications effectively.
• Ability to present research findings to diverse audiences in a clear, concise, and engaging manner.

 Competencies

• Strong written and verbal communication skills to articulate research findings, methodologies, and implications to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Ability to communicate complex concepts in a clear, concise, and accessible manner.
• Ability to work collaboratively in interdisciplinary research teams, contribute expertise, share knowledge, and support colleagues to achieve research objectives
• Willingness to adapt to changing research requirements, methodologies, or project parameters, and adjust research plans accordingly.
• Ability to learn new research techniques, tools, or methodologies as needed for research projects.
• Strong interpersonal skills to build rapport with research participants, collaborators, and stakeholders, and to foster positive working relationships.

 Deliverables/KPIs

• Create a detailed TA project work plan with milestones, effort levels, deliverables, and timeline.
• Develop a prioritised roadmap execution plan for HIS strengthening.
• Establish and document the HIS steering and coordination mechanism, including meeting minutes.
• Present monthly progress updates to FCDO as per the HIS work plan and roadmap.
• Prepare a six-month summary report on TA implementation progress.