Roster of National Consultants / Experts – Emergency Preparedness and Response Including IHR - (2408632)

14 November 2024
Call for consultation

Objective of the programme 

The consultancy aims to provide technical support to the government of Bangladesh in the areas of health emergencies, epidemiology, International Health Regulations (IHR), public health informatics, disease surveillance, infectious hazard management, antimicrobial resistance (AMR), pandemic preparedness, disaster management, environmental health, climate change, and related research. The overarching goal is to enhance the readiness and response capabilities to mitigate public health risks, minimize suffering, and save lives during emergencies.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

Health Emergencies, Preparedness and Response: Provide support to public health emergency preparedness and response including development of guidelines, SOPs, participation in the Incident Management Support and Health cluster activities in the spirt of multisectoral collaboration such as One health, conduct of rapid risk assessment, UN coordination mechanisms as well as document review, situation update and other relevant activities.

  • International Health Regulations (IHR): Provide support and facilitate the development, implementation, and evaluation of country strategies and workplans to advance IHR core capacity development in line with WHO standards.
  • Data informatics: Facilitate the provision of up-to-date health information, data, analysis, interpretation, and presentation to support policy and decision making.
  • Epidemiology & Disease Surveillance: Provide technical oversight to surveillance and management of emerging/re-emerging infectious diseases including influenza, and other epidemic prone diseases.
  • Outbreak detection & control: Provide technical expertise and operational support for the timely detection and response to outbreaks/epidemics and health emergencies, in collaboration with national health officials, including laboratory staff, and other partner organizations.
  • Infectious Hazard management: Support and facilitate the development and implementation of evidence-based policies, public health programmes and interventions for the management of priority infectious hazards with multisectoral collaboration using a one health approach; Provide guidance in laboratory activities in diagnostic, biosafety and quality management and develop appropriate solutions for their improvement where necessary.
  • Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR): To provide support and coordination for AMR surveillance and reporting among all the sentinel sites in the country as well as support the reporting of national AMR data to the Global Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Surveillance System (GLASS).
  • Pandemic Influenzas preparedness/Influenza surveillance: Support the Pandemic preparedness activities and coordinate different laboratory activities at sentinel sites as well as NIC and NRL according to national and international standards, as necessary. Support the enhancement of laboratory infrastructure and the implementation of standard operating procedures to enhance safe collection, handling, shipment, storage and analysis of human and environmental specimens.
  • Disaster Management: Support the implementation of DRR, comprehensive Emergency Risk Management for health and disaster management. Maintain liaison with relevant ministries and stakeholders for information management and coordination. Monitor all matters related to procurement of emergency drugs and medical supplies, anticipate needs, and take follow-up action as and when necessary.
  • Environmental Health: Support national priorities concerning health and environment and recommend feasible plans and strategies under the aegis of Environmental Health Unit (EHU); Support the promotion of innovative activities in environmental health sector, and advancing health and environment initiatives as well as water supply, sanitation, hygiene, chemical safety, radiation safety, occupational health.
  • Climate Change: Facilitate key climate change and health activities -health vulnerability and adaptation assessments, implementation of health national adaptation plan, climate-resilient water and sanitation safety planning, climate resilient and environmentally sustainable health care facilities, and climate informed health surveillance and early warning systems.
  • Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH): Provide support for ongoing water, sanitation, and hygiene, environmental and climate sensitive disease outbreaks such as water borne diseases and vector borne diseases.
  • Risk Communication and community engagement: support the development and operationalization of a risk communication plan with multisector collaboration to set the strategies, approaches, resources (human resources and budgeting), standard operating procedures and mechanisms for the function of RCCE; Review existing resources, processes, mechanisms for risk communication, community engagement and infodemic management towards improvement; support in management of social media accounts and prepare digital and social media plans in line with regional guidance and in-country specific context and priority topics;
  • Capacity building: Support workforce development through trainings, and other capacity building and strengthening activities across all aspects of health emergencies.
  • Development of guidelines: Support adaptation, development and implementation of technical guidelines and SOPs for various health emergency activities, including those caused by (re-) emerging and other infectious diseases.


Duration of contract: 2 weeks to 11 months depends on actual requirement. (Separate communication will made with listed candidates)
Contract type: External consultant
Duty Station:  Dhaka and other locations in Bangladesh.

Link to apply: