Consultant, Communication, Social Health Protection

Social health protection - affordable health insurance or government-funded health services - aims to provide adequate benefit packages to protect against the risk of ill health and related financial burden and catastrophic expenditures. It is crucial in poverty reduction and the provision of access to essential health care. The importance and potential of social protection and social health protection in reducing poverty and inequalities and contributing to a more inclusive and sustainable economic development is recognised in the 2015 Sustainable Development Agenda.

In low-income countries an estimated 90 % of people have no financial protection against catastrophic health expenditures. Globally, about 39 % of the population is lacking such coverage. As a result, about 40 % of health expenditures globally are shouldered directly by the sick and their families. Asia is one of the two regions in the world which accounts for 97% of the world’s population impoverished by out-of-pocket health spending –with Asia having the highest rate of impoverishment at the $1.90-a-day poverty line -1.9%. 

In line with Decent Work Country Programme outcomes, the International Labour Organization, with the support of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is providing support to Laos, Myanmar and Viet Nam to strengthen their social health protection policies and systems through the project “Support to the extension of Social Health Protection in South-East-Asia”. The project’s objectives are to improve the institutional capacity and financial sustainability of social health insurance schemes in the target countries, and to expand the regional knowledge base on social health protection, feeding the global knowledge and available to be used in other regions.

The project aims at increasing financial health under the overall umbrella of national strategies towards UHC and the global development agenda including ILO’s Flagship Programme on Social Protection Floors.  The project further builds on the experience of ILO in the three countries and especially on previous support through ILO, funded by Luxembourg, to improving and harmonizing social protection policy and implementation in Lao PDR. Under the regional component of the Project, a regional facility providing a platform for exchange, joint research and regional training opportunities for experts, academic institutions and practitioners in the area of social health protection, is being established.  The facility contributes with regional experiences to global discussions while at the same time promoting South-South cooperation between the participating countries.

At country level activities are aligned with national social health protection strategies and complement initiatives of other development partners. The main effort is placed on the development of national institutional and human resources. Technical support focuses on policy advise on extension strategies for social health protection with a specific focus on equity and providing coverage for the informal sector; on strengthening design and implementation of existing schemes through research and assessments of specific aspects of social health protection; on financial sustainability through actuarial valuations and costing studies of strategies; on strengthening capacity of stakeholders and on dissemination and advocacy on the importance of social health protection extension for poverty reduction and equitable development.

The Project is grounded on the establishment of partnerships with other national institutions, as well with development partners aiming at expanding the operation of the regional facility beyond the three initial countries.

The objective of the consultancy is to improve the communication of the ILO project “Support to the extension of Social Health Protection in South-East-Asia” on the progress made and activities implemented in order to inform ILO tripartite constituents, other developments partners and other stakeholders.

To this purpose, the ILO is seeking the support of a communication expert.

The task assigned to the consultant is to produce seven (7) short articles (1,000 words each) on selected project activities.
1. One article Our impact, their voices portraying a SSB beneficiary in Myanmar
2. One article Our impact, their voices portraying a NHI beneficiary in Lao PDR
3. One article documenting contents and progress on health and administrative reform in Myanmar
4. One article documenting contents and progress on scaling-up the National Health Insurance scheme in Lao PDR
5. One article on the Regional Technical Facility on Social Health Protection documenting objectives, progress made and next steps towards its institutionalization
6. One article on the launch of the Master on Primary Health Care, Special track on Social Health Protection, by the University of Mahidol, Thailand
7. One article on Knowledge gaps and barriers to access health services in Viet Nam
The short articles must fit the format of ILO webpage to be used on ILO Social Protection webpage https://www.ilo.org/secsoc/areas-of-work/policy-development-and-applied-research/social-health-protection/lang--en/index.htm and the ILO project’s webpage.    Each article will be about 1,000 words.

The work is expected to be completed no later than 15th February 2020.

For the above-mentioned assignments, the products mentioned above will be paid to the Consultant upon satisfaction of the ILO and in accordance with the payment schedule as follows:
- 70% upon reception, to the satisfaction of the ILO, of Articles 1,2,3, 4 and 5
- 30% upon reception, to the satisfaction of the ILO, of Articles 6 and 7

ILO terms and conditions shall apply to the payment of full fees of this assignment based on the service provider’s background and experience.

The consultant will report to the Chief Technical Adviser of the ILO Luxembourg-funded project Extension of Social Health Protection in South East Asia, who will liaise with partners as needed. ILO will additionally facilitate data collection and contacts as appropriate.

The consultant is responsible for the overall management, coordination and delivery of the different tasks outlined in these TORs.

The ILO will provide overall coordination among the different stakeholders, facilitating consultant’s contact with Government officials. The ILO will provide technical backstopping to all tasks.

The contract will be awarded to a consultant with the following qualifications:
- University level academic qualifications in social policies, international cooperation, development studies, or equivalent in experience.
- At least 3 years of demonstrated experiences of relevant work on communication and advocacy, including writing of articles and briefing notes, developing communication plans and providing overall advice on projects’ communication
- Experience working with development projects is an asset, preferably in the South-East Asia region
- Excellent report writing and communication skills in English
- Ability to produce high quality deliverables in a timely manner, in English language
- Ideally based in Hanoi.
 

The consultant (hereinafter referred as “External Collaborator”) must be aware that the ILO accepts no liability in the event of death, injury, or illness of the consultant.

The consultant must attest that he/she is adequately covered by insurance for these risks.

In no circumstances shall the consultant be covered by any ILO insurance.  It is the consultant’s own responsibility to take out, at their own expense, any personal insurance policies that are considered necessary, including a civil liability insurance policy.