Consultancy for support the development of quantification of the PrEP order and donation-receiving plan

Local Health System Sustainability (LHSS) Vietnam

CALL FOR CONSULTANCY SERVICES
Support the development of quantification of the PrEP order
and donation-receiving plan

I. Background:

The global USAID LHSS Activity helps low- and middle-income countries transition to sustainable, self-funded health finance systems that support high-performing overall health systems. The LHSS activity in Vietnam will work with the Government of Vietnam (GVN) to advance greater local ownership of HIV and TB prevention and control. Led by Abt Associates, the four-year activity supports Vietnam in increasing its domestic financing for HIV and TB services in the context of declining donor funding, in using government resources more efficiently, and in assuming local ownership of HIV and TB prevention and control activities. Specific objectives are: (1) Support the GVN to strengthen its public financial management systems for public sector health and find greater efficiencies in social health insurance (SHI), (2) Increase and improve the efficiency of domestic financing of HIV prevention and treatment services; (3) Strengthen the capacity of Vietnam's supply chain management system; and (4) Integrate TB services into SHI.

According to the HIV/AIDS surveillance report, the HIV/AIDS new cases among the MSM group account for 0.9% in 2011 to 34% of patients in 2020. According to the estimation, unsafe sex between MSM (including transgender and male sex workers) tends to be the main HIV transmission route, and it will account for 45% by 2030. In 2017, the World Health Organization issued a recommendation to provide Pre-exposure prophylaxis treatment (PrEP) for groups at high risk of getting HIV to prevent HIV infection by taking a pill for PrEP every day. So far, PrEP has not been provided through Social Health Insurance. Therefore, donated medicines are the primary source of PrEP in Viet Nam. As usual, the PEPFAR coordination office sent an official letter on April 28th, 2023 to the Viet Nam Authority of HIV/AIDS Control to confirm a commodity support of 1,405,352 USD procuring Emtricitabine/ Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate 200/300 Tablet in VietNam for the year of 2024. These donated medicines would help Vietnam expand the PrEP service in Vietnam and achieve the target of providing PrEP treatment to reduce new HIV/AIDS cases per year to under 1000 by 2030.

As per LHSS Viet Nam's objectives to support planning for procurement and supply chain activities, LHSS Vietnam will mobilize a senior expert to support VAAC and work with the related ministries to facilitate the development of the PrEP donation plan for approval by the MOH leadership. The Consultant will also provide technical support to VAAC to quantify the appropriate order to ensure adequate stock for PrEP service expansion and avoid the risk of expiry. The expected result from this activity is to ensure that the PrEP donation receiving plan is approved and medicines arrive at the right time and quantity to maximize the utilization of the donation.

II. Tasks and Deliverables:

Tasks

1.    Support VAAC in drafting and finalizing the donation plan and preparing for related documents:

• Draft the donation plan based on the collected information and data;
• Review and finalize the donation plan to submit for reviewing by relevant ministries;
• Develop memorandum of understanding (MOU) for concerning the importation, storage, distrubution, and reallocation of medicines under the PEPFAR-funded program.

2.    Support VAAC during the review and approval process of the donation plan

• Facilitate the donation plan review process with the  Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Public Security, and Ministry of Foreign Affairs;
• Provide technical support to VAAC  in preparing  technical documents to justify the plan as per the MOH requirements; and 
• Facilitate the approval process by the MOH leadership after receiving consensus from all related agencies.

3.    Support VAAC in collaboration with relevant stakeholders in completing the donation plan implementation

• Provide technical assistance to work with the supplier to complete the procedures of drug importation and supply

Deliverables:

• Approved MOU and draft donation plan which already addresses comments/requirements from related agencies. Tentative Due date: October 27^th, 2023
• Supportive technical documents, final PrEP donation receiving plan, and the decision to approve the donation plan. Tentative Due date: November 3^rd, 2023
• The approved PrEP donation receiving plan dossier. Tentative Due date: November 15th, 2023
• Other related documents: upon request
• Monthly report submitted in the first week of each month.
• Final report to summarize the work done with attached deliverables submitted at the end of the contract.

III. Timing

The assignment is planned from September through December 31, 2023, with an estimated total of 20 working days.

IV. Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree or higher in medicine/pharmacy/health economics or relevant disciplines.
• More than five years of relevant working experience with Departments and Administrations in the Health sector.
• Good knowledge of PrEP treatment and drug management
• Good understanding and knowledge of Vietnamese pharmaceutical regulations
• Demonstrate ability to work effectively with governmental agencies, including MOH/ Department of Planning and Finance, VAAC, and Ministry of Finance.
• Good communication skills
• Basic knowledge of English

V. Management of the assignment

The consultant will report to the LHSS Supply Chain team at LHSS Vietnam. The Consultant will also work closely with the VAAC, the Department of Planning and Finance under the Ministry of Health, and other relevant governmental agencies when needed.

To apply, please send your CVs and an application letter to the following email: [email protected]

Deadline: October 16, 2023

Only short-listed candidates will be contacted for interviews.