Back National Cancer Control Plan (NCCP) Consultant

Description

Job Title: National Cancer Control Plan (NCCP) Consultant

Department:

Clinical

Location:

Kigali

Reports to:

PIH/IMB: Oncology Program Director

RBC: Director of Cancer Diseases Unit

Positions reporting to:

N/A

Main Responsibilities

1

Job Purpose

Partners In Health (PIH) and its sister organization in Rwanda, Inshuti Mu Buzima (IMB), in collaboration with the Rwanda Ministry of Health through Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC), are seeking a consultant to lead efforts to elaborate the second National Cancer Control Plan 2024-2029 which will serve as a roadmap to guide the efforts to advance cancer control in the country. Under the direction of the Project director and with support from the Project manager, the consultant will lead, in close partnership with RBC. A comprehensive assessment of the current cancer burden, including incidence, prevalence, and mortality rates, analyze the existing cancer control infrastructure, including healthcare facilities, human resources, and available technologies, assess the sociocultural, economic, and environmental factors influencing cancer prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and palliative care.
Data and recommendations from the needs assessment will help shape strategic priorities within the NCCP 2024-2029. All tasks and deliverables related to the oncology needs assessment and development of the national Cancer Control Plan 2024-2029 will be completed in approximately six months and will require 75 working days approximatively.

Following completion of the assessment, the consultant will continue to work alongside national stakeholders to lead the development and validation of the NCCP 2024-2029. Guided by the findings and policy recommendations from the needs assessment, the consultant will co-lead meetings and workshops with various stakeholders to: review and revise the strategic objectives and discrete activities within the NCCP; develop new targets for access to, coverage and quality of oncology care; validate the revised NCCP document and incorporate feedback; and assist in the NCCP’s validation. The consultant will also coordinate closely with health financing experts at the Ministry of Health and PIH as they cost the activities and sub-activities of the NCCP 2024-2029.

2

Key Responsibilities:

The following describes the timeline and scope of work for this consultancy:

Phase 1: Pre-Assessment Planning (June – July 2024)

• Identify a platform for document storage and sharing; build documentation infrastructure
• Gather, review and synthesize existing data (e.g. on epidemiological trends for cancers and their risk factors, diagnostic and treatment capacity at health facilities, etc.) including evaluations of the current NCCP 2020-2024
• In collaboration with cancer control experts from WHO, IARC, IAEA, PIH/IMB, under the leadership of MOH/ RBC, design elements of the national cancer control plan, including supporting documents and guides
• Identify stakeholders and health facilities to visit; coordinate with heads of facilities and organizations on the timing of visits and interviewees (patients and their families, healthcare workers, , NGOs, civil society and patient advocacy groups)
• Provide an Inception Report summarizing the above, to be reviewed and approved by steering committee to be established by MoH/RBC

  Deliverables:

  • Platform created for document storage and sharing
  • Completed desk review of existing data on cancer control in Rwanda
    • Cancer control situation analysis ‘package’:
      • Facility Assessment template
      • Questions and facilitator guide for healthcare workers
      • Questions and facilitator guide for patients and their families
      • Questions and facilitator guide for civil society and patient advocacy groups
      • Questions and facilitator guide for Non-Governmental Organizations
      • Questions and facilitator guide for policy makers ( RBC, MoH, RSSB,..)
        • List of targeted facilities for data collection
        • Scheduled focus groups/interviews with key informants
        • Inception report that summarizes pre-planning process (desk review; all components of the cancer control ‘package’; lists of facilities and stakeholders to consult)

          Phase 2: Conducting Assessment (July – August 2024)

          • Conduct focus group discussions with healthcare workers that provide oncology services (screening, diagnosis, treatment, palliative)
          • Request documents or conduct observation to obtain any relevant site-based data at selected health facilities (patient records, drug supply and storage)
          • Conduct interviews with people that have and survived cancer, and their families (at a facility or in the home)
          • Conduct focus groups with civil society and patient advocacy organizations
          • Conduct interviews with key partners/NGO involved into cancer care in Rwanda
          • Conduct interviews with selected policy makers
          • Facilitate workshops with keys stakeholders involved in cancer control.

            Deliverables:

            • Completed records of interviews and focus groups
            • Completed facility assessments