Local Health Systems Sustainability Hiring for CPD Sustainable Financing Strategy Consultant at Amman, Jordan Full Time

Local Health System Sustainability Jordan Activity

Short Term Technical Assistance: Sustainable Financing Strategy of the Continuous Professional Development System for Health Professionals in Jordan

Consultant Title: CPD Sustainable Financing Strategy

Justification for Selection: Open Competition

Level of Effort: 20 Days

1. Background: 

The Local Health System Sustainability Project (LHSS) under the USAID Integrated Health Systems IDIQ helps low- and middle-income countries transition to sustainable, self-financed health systems to support access to universal health coverage. The project works with partner countries and local stakeholders to reduce financial barriers to care and treatment, ensure equitable access to essential health services for all people, and improve the quality of health services.

Continuing professional development (CPD) is an essential approach for health care providers (HCPs) to improve relevant competencies and is required for continuous quality improvement of health practices for better health services.

Jordan developed and published the Health Professional License Renewal Bylaw Number 46 in the Official Gazette in April 2018 and issued instructions in September 2021 for all licensed HCPs in Jordan (approximately 155,000) to complete a required number of CPD hours every five years to renew their practice licenses. Article 5 of the Instructions stipulates that an HCP must submit their application for re-licensure three months minimum before its expiration. Annex 1 of this scope includes a brief description of the CPD system.

USAID’s Continuing Professional Development Program (CPDP) supports the Government of Jordan’s (GOJ) efforts to improve health care professionals’ (HCPs) competencies to deliver quality health services through the institutionalization of a mandatory continuing professional development system (CPD) for professional license renewal. CPDP will assist the Ministry and other stakeholders to activate the Bylaws and the CPD Instructions.  

CPDP has three components: 

•    Awareness information and communication for HCPs
•   Electronic CPD management and relicensing system
•   Quality assurance for the CPD and relicensing system

Local Health System Sustainability (LHSS) is the technical assistance arm to support the MOH in implementing the CPDP. This technical assistance will also extend to the health professional councils (Jordan Medical Council, Jordan Nursing Council, and the High Health Council) and will also engage the private sector

2. Objectives of this Consultancy

The objectives of this consultancy are to develop a sustainable financing strategy to institutionalize the CPD process within the MOH, Health Councils, and health associations. 

Elements of this strategy will include:

1. Consolidated existing costing information related to the implementation of the CPD system
2. Synthesis of financing opportunities, gaps, incentives, and barriers 
3. Recommendations for CPD sustainability from a financial perspective.
4. Strategies for using CPD revenues to contribute to the financial sustainability of the CPD system.
5. Recommendations to improve cost transparency; and
6. Examination of cost efficiencies that could be adopted in the CPD system and in the relevant councils and associations.
7. Recommendations for developing and implementing a sustainability action plan in FY23

3. Scope of Work

Specific Tasks:

1. Develop an implementation plan for undertaking the scope of work for approval by LHSS before initiation of activities. The implementation plan should include research and analysis activities including, but not limited to the review of existing documentation including the As-Is and To-Be documents of the CPD system, the CPD roadmap developed by HRH 2030, PGS work plan for MOH, and CPD Bylaw and Instructions, Councils and MOH capacity assessment.
2. Gather and analyze realistic cost information for the CPD system from the MOH, health councils and health associations to use as basis for analysis and recommendations.
3. Conduct key informant interviews with identified stakeholders from the National CPD Committee (NCPDC), National Councils, health associations, and private providers as applicable.
4. Conduct research and analysis to identify opportunities and barriers to CPD system financial sustainability.
5. Draft a report with findings related to opportunities, gaps, incentives, barriers, and recommendations for sustainably financing the CPD system.
6. Present the report and the sustainable financing strategy to national stakeholders, USAID, and LHSS.
7. Finalize the report based on LHSS, USAID, and NCPDC comments.

 

4. Deliverable Schedule 

Deliverables	LOE (days)	Due Date
An implementation plan approved by LHSS	1	June 25, 2022
Desk review and analysis of existing documents and developing questionnaire	3	June 25, 2022
Key informant interviews conducted with MOH, councils, health associations, and others from the private sector that are relevant to gather and validate information	10	July 9,2000
Draft a report with findings related to costs opportunities, gaps, incentives, barriers, and recommendations for sustainably financing the CPD system.	2	July 15, 2022
Prepare and deliver a presentation and present the methodology, analysis, and key findings to USAID and the NCPDC	2	July 20, 2022
A final report incorporating LHSS, USAID, and NCPDC comments.	2	July 25, 2022
Total	20

 

5. Requirements

• A master’s degree in finance, economics, or health systems (or a relevant degree) is required; PhD degree is preferred.
• At least 7 years of experience conducting cost analyses and developing financing strategies.
• Demonstrated capacity to conduct stakeholder analysis, develop strategies, and analyze health systems.
• Demonstrated experience in working with the private and public sector health institution in Jordan.
• Fluency in written and spoken Arabic and English is required.

 

6. Reporting

The consultant will report to Nadira Sansour, CPD Advisor, LHSS.

Annex 1: Brief Description of CPD System:

A. The CPD hours count for accreditation is described as follows: 

Profession	CPD hours count during the 5- year period	Distributed for each year
Medicine	60	12
Dentistry	50	10
Pharmacists	50	10
Nursing and Midwifery	40	8
Lab Technicians	40	8
Paramedical professions (Professions that require 4-year study period minimum other than the professions mentioned in sub-items (1,2,3,4 and 5) of this paragraph.	30	6
Other medical professions (Professions that require less than 4-year study period other than the professions mentioned in sub-items (1,2,3,4 and 5) of this paragraph	20	4

 

B. Types of activities: The types of CPD activities are defined in the CPD instructions and consist of a mix of activities related to professional practice or continuous medical education activities (50%-70%) and self-development activities (30%-50%), with not more than 30 percent of total hours undertaken through online activities. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the NCPDC decreed that online CPD activities can be 100% of required CPD hours. 

C. National CPD Committee Membership: Convened by the Minister and Chaired by High Health Council Secretary General, the National CPD Committee includes membership from the following organizations: Ministry of Health (MOH), Royal Medical Services, Jordan Nursing Council, Jordan Medical Council, Private Hospital Association, a representative of University hospitals, Jordan Medical Association, Jordan Dental Association, Jordan Pharmacy Association, Jordan Nursing and Midwifery Council, Medical Laboratories and Medical Analysis Association, a representative of other health and allied health professional syndicates (e.g., associations). 

1. Role of the National CPD Committee: Their role in activating the Bylaw includes the following:

1. Lead, facilitate, and guide the implementation of the CPD bylaw and instructions.
2. Determine the activity requirements for the health professions in order to renew their licenses.
3. Establish and agree on standards and process for accrediting CPD providers and activities
4. Encourage the publication of research and organization of conferences, seminars, and workshops to support HCPs in achieving CPD requirements. 

2. Role of the MOH:  

1. The MOH is responsible for re-licensing all HCPs in Jordan across all cadres through the Licensing Professions and Health Institutions Directorate (LPHID), and creating a system, led by the Electronic Transformation and Information Technology Directorate (E-TITD), in line with the e-government transition in collaboration with Ministry of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship (MODEE).  The system should enable HCPs to efficiently log certification of their CPD activities in an e-platform.  The e-system should allow councils to verify that CPD activities and providers of the activities have been accredited and allow a syndicate to verify that HCPs are up to date on their membership, as part of the HCPs’ application for re-licensing.  Ideally, the system should enable HCPs to apply for re-licensure as requirements are completed and support automation of MOH and council CPD processes. 
   • The MOH will take leadership in designing an online system, working across stakeholders, to enable re-licensing, including tracking CPD and other re-licensing requirements by HCPs.
   • The MOH will also lead the development of an interim system to allow for re-licensing and all associated requirements, working with the National CPD Committee stakeholders. 
2. The MOH will be responsible, together with the National CPD Committee members and councils, for developing accreditation standards for CPD activities.  

3. Role of the Councils: The CPD instructions it mandates the Councils (including High Health Council, Jordan Medical Council, and Jordan Nursing Council) have the following functions for CPD for re-licensure:

1. National CPD Committee members, and therefore have a role in guiding the implementation of the CPD bylaw. 
2. As National CPD Committee members, establish standards for accrediting activities of CPD.
3. Issuance of Certificate of Completion of CPD requirements for the practitioner in accordance with each HCP cadres’ requirements. 
4. Accreditation of CPD programs and activities using approved standards and including periodic monitoring and evaluation of CPD programs and activities according to standards and accreditation principles.
5. Updated listing of accredited CPD activities available on their websites.

4. CPD Providers and Activities Accreditation: The CPD Instructions mandate that both providers and activities of CPD should be accredited.

1. Approved providers for CPD: The Instructions state that the following providers of CPD are already accredited for conducting CPD activities:  The MOH, Royal Medical Services, The HHC, JMC, and JNC, syndicates and affiliated scientific societies, hospitals and centers accredited by the Joint Medical Council for the purpose of training and teaching, internationally or nationally accredited e-learning platforms, and colleges that teach medical and health professions at universities and scientific centers.  

5. Status of the Jordan CPD Roadmap: The USAID HRH2030 Activity worked with stakeholders to develop a roadmap for CPD in February 2019.  This strategic plan developed a shared vision for CPD for re-licensing: a fully functional CPD system by the year 2023 that can be sustained through national ownership over time to support all HCPs in Jordan to continually improve their competencies, leading to the provision of higher quality and safer health care services and improved patient outcomes, which contributes to better health for all

The roadmap outlines a pathway for key stakeholders to implement and institutionalize the CPD system for all HCPs in Jordan in an effective, efficient, and sustainable manner, while considering achievements to date and remaining gaps.