Federal Eye Health program, a special Advisor Full Time

Background

The Ministry of Health invites competent and interested applicants for the following position to support the DPC LEO.

According to the most recent World Health Organization (WHO) data, an estimated 253 million people live with vision impairment (VI): 36 million are blind, and 217 million have moderate to severe vision impairment. Of these, 81% of the blind or those who have moderate or severe vision impairment are over 50 years of age, although this age group comprises only 20% of the world’s population. About 90% of the world’s visually impaired live in low-income settings. Globally, uncorrected refractive errors are the main cause of moderate and severe visual impairment; cataract remains the leading cause of blindness, whereas trachoma remains the leading infectious cause of blindness in middle- and low-income countries. About 80% of all visual impairment is avoidable and hence can be prevented or cured.

Eye health problems, visual impairment, including blindness, are major public health problems in Ethiopia, estimated to affect over 15 million people. According to the 2006 National Survey on Blindness, Visual Impairment and Trachoma report, the national prevalence of blindness and visual impairment was estimated at 1.6% and 3.7% respectively.

In 2020, the Government of Ethiopia and other Member States of the World Health Assembly (WHA) endorsed Resolution No.73.4 on integrated people-centred eye care (IPEC), including preventable visual impairment and blindness. IPEC empowers patients, families, and caregivers to make effective decisions about their own eye health. Ethiopia had also developed a 3-year strategic plan mainly intending to implement IPEC and of reorienting the model of care, which addresses all levels of eye care from the community level to specialized tertiary care. It further addresses the need to use innovative models of care to strengthen the health system and eye care in universal health coverage (UHC). In the strategic plan, Strengthen Human Resources for eye health development was stated as the priority for the implementation of the strategic plan.

These Terms of Reference (ToR) is developed to recruit a Technical Advisor at the national level to strengthen the National Eye Health Program. The National Eye Health Technical Advisor will provide strategic and technical leadership to support the development, implementation, and monitoring of national eye health programs. This role will work closely with the Ministry of Health, national and regional health bureaus, development partners, and other stakeholders to strengthen eye health systems and services, aligning with national health priorities and global eye health strategies.

SCOPE OF WORK

This is a special advisor for the National Eye Health Program, assisting the Federal eye health program and the NCDs and Mental Health Desk. The special advisor will be accountable to the MOH’s Diseases Prevention and Control Lead Executive Office. The advisor executes the planned activities under the leadership of NCDs and the Mental Health Desk.

Objectives

• To recruit a special Advisor for the National Eye Health Program.

Key Roles and Responsibilities

Eye Care Leadership and Governance

• Support the national Eye Health Partnership and collaboration among the lead/executive office in the FMOH, agencies, and key partners for strategic and technical support to standardize eye health program response.
• Advocate to establish optimal administrative structure at all levels
• Work to institutionalize IPEC at all health institution levels
• Strengthen and participate in the national eye health advisory committee (NEHAC) for regular meetings and follow-up
• Prepare national eye health strategic plan and operational plan
• Develop different eye health guidelines, protocols, and training manuals, including a resource mobilization and partnership document
• Conduct eye health program, supportive supervision, and review meeting
• Arrange eye health advocacy for budget mobilization
• Represent the eye health program in national technical working groups, national and international forums as needed

Accessible, quality, and equitable eye care service delivery

• Work to integrate primary eye care into primary health care
• Conduct awareness-raising activities for Eye health promotion and prevention care, including those in the health extension package.
• Strengthen and expand primary, secondary, and tertiary eye care units
• Strengthen the school eye care program, scaled up.
• Strengthen eye health screening integration within existing general health care, including diabetes and neonatal care.
• Strengthen cataract surgery, both static and campaign
• Work to improve eye health technologies
• Work to have affordable and quality spectacles provision at the facility level
• Finalize cataract quality audit document
• Engaged in different eye care quality assessment surveys

Human resources, infrastructure, Supplies, and Technologies

• Propose the national HRH strategy to ensure the health work force is aligned to the eye care need (incorporate all cadres of HReH across all levels)
• Provide different training for eye care/non-eye care professionals
• Arrange different long-term training for eye care professionals
• Work to standardize different training manuals to benefit eye care professionals from CPD
• Improved availability of essential eye medicines, technologies, and supplies as per the level of eye care facility
• Standardization of eye medicines, technologies, and supplies

Eye care Information system.

• Enhance reporting rates of eye health data from all eye care units, including private for-profit and NGO facilities
• Enhance the quality of eye health data at all levels
• Conducting cataract surgical audits regularly
• Advocate for inclusion of more eye health indicators in DHIS2
• Provide technical input for proposal development and donor reporting as needed
• Engaged in different eye health research and surveys
• Advocate to enhance funding for eye health research

Required Qualifications and Experience

Experience, Knowledge &Skills:

• Master’s in Public Health (MPH) with an undergraduate degree as an eye-care professional and an MD with an Ophthalmology specialty is preferable.
• Work Experience: Minimum of 16 years of work experience with a BSc degree, or 14 years of work experience with an MPH/MSc degree.
• Work experience in national and international eye care program management is preferable.
• Strong understanding of national health systems and policies of Ethiopia.
• Experience working with MOH Ethiopia and health systems and/or experience influencing the policies of government agencies, private sector organizations, or donor organizations.
• Excellent analytical, communication, and report-writing skills.
• Fluency with project management tools, including creating and managing work plans and budgets
• Ability to train, lead, and coordinate among a wide variety of partners from the regional to district levels.
• Excellent organizational and planning skills; detail-oriented
• Self-motivated and able to work independently
• Able to troubleshoot, address challenges in an efficient and timely manner, and make sound programmatic decisions
• Good command of MS Office software: Word, Excel, Access, and statistical software use
• Willingness to travel to supervise eye care facilities and be able to monitor outreach/ campaign services.
• A strategic and innovative thinker with a pragmatic and solution-oriented mindset.
• A self-starter, with resilience, pace, and interpersonal flexibility.
• Willingness to travel regularly – including to project locations in remote areas in developing regions.
• Excellent English written and interpersonal communication skills

Desirable competencies

• Familiarity with health financing and policy advocacy.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a multicultural environment.
• Willingness and ability to travel (up to 20% of staff time/month) across Ethiopia
• Excellent leadership and advocacy skills.
• Excellent people and resource management skills
• Excellent inter-personal skills and coordination ability across diverse government and non-government stakeholders at national and subnational levels
• Thorough understanding of the technical and programmatic aspects of a cardiovascular public health program, including the ability to identify and quickly address any challenges or obstacles.
• Excellent computer skills, including MS Office applications, particularly MS Excel, PowerPoint
• Fluent in spoken and written English language
• Document preparation/ writing skill

Accountability

• Both the Civil Service and MoH rules and regulations will be applied to guide the day-to-day activities and performance of the manager.
• *As new priorities emerge, the MoH may periodically revise this TOR for this position.