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1. Purpose of the consultancy
Provide technical support to Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), Government of India, and key stakeholders in India to phase out the use of mercury-containing measuring devices in healthcare.
2. Background
MoEF&CC is actively engaged in activities to address the health impacts of mercury in the country and has long-standing guidelines to regulate its use in the country’s healthcare sector and manage the waste generated by mercury containing devices. It has provided guidance on the replacement of mercury-containing thermometers and sphygmomanometers devices in health care and other sectors in the country and is also working in supporting the industries to shift to mercury alternates and manage the legacy mercury waste.
In-line with its role as the leading national environment agency and its existing mandates and activities in support of the Minamata Convention, MoEF&CC will actively work to phase out the use of mercury-containing measuring devices in healthcare. MoEF&CC in collaboration with WHO and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Global Mercury Partnership is executing a Global Environment Facility (GEF) project to phase-out mercury in healthcare. This global project is being implemented in five countries in three regions, India (South-East Asia); Burkina Faso and Uganda (Africa) and Montenegro and Albania (Europe). The expected objective of the project is to eliminate the uncontrolled releases of mercury from healthcare settings. The project will comprise three components: 1) The development or improvement of national health-system wide strategies for phasing-out the import, export and manufacture of mercury thermometers and sphygmomanometers in line with WHO recommendations and related provisions of the Minamata Convention; 2) Implementation of national strategies to phase-out manufacture, import and export and piloting phase out of use and 3) knowledge management and awareness raising.
The proposed Project Co-ordinator will support MOEF&CC, in coordinating the project implementation.
The Consultant will work under the technical supervision of Deputy Head of WHO Country Office for India.
The key objectives of the consultancy assignment will be as follows:
Provide technical support to MOEF&CC and key stakeholders in India in implementing the five-year project to phase out use of mercury-containing measuring devices in healthcare.
3.
Description of Duties
1. Act as day-to-day national technical focal point for the project and perform daily requests for technical information and project implementation.
2. Together with MOHFW coordinator, support in organising regular national project steering meetings, including drafting agenda, invitation letters; communication materials; meeting reports.
3. In consultation with MOHFW coordinator and WHO India, facilitate identification of stakeholders, prepare draft annual workplan including different stakeholders and their roles.
4. Support in organising national capacity-building, and waste management meeting in coordination with national stakeholders.
5. Support in conducting national situational analysis of phasing out of mercury from health facilities.
6. Work with the project team in preparing draft national and state phase out plan.
7. Prepare information on technical progress and other information about the project and disseminate it through relevant channels including those of Ministry of Health, MoEFCC, medical device manufacturers and other technical networks.
8. Work with standardization bodies to ensure market availability of standardized equipment.
9. Support in identification and implementation of Pilots for substitution of mercury manufacturing units of health care devices. Organize meetings with manufacturers and identify companies willing to shift. Draw an action plan for shifting manufacturing to mercury alternates and document the process.
10. Liaise with equipment manufacturers and standardization bodies to review and disseminate national standards and prepare a detailed inventory of manufacturers in India.
11. Provide technical support in implementation of pilots on waste management and safe disposal of Mercury as per the Mercury Guidelines. Identify sites for waste management of mercury waste and help set up model facilities. Document the technical, economic, training, procedural and other requirements of setting up and maintaining mercury disposal facilities. Also, co-ordinate with MoH to help individual HCFs (phasing out mercury equipment) in safely disposing their mercury waste.
12. Lead in the development of models for waste management and safe disposal of Mercury as per the Bio Medical Waste Management Rules 2016 and Guidelines for safe disposal of mercury-based wastes.
13. Provide input to quarterly project status reports, including progress on workplan, budget reports and contribute to forecasting of expenditure.
14. Prepare a summary report for mid-project and end-project review.
15. Liaise with WHO India and give inputs for developing communication products related to the project and aid in their distribution nationwide through various channels and networks of professional bodies of healthcare workers.
16. Provide other technical and administrative support to the MOEF&CC, as needed.
4. Deliverable
Monthly report to be submitted on 30th of each calendar month that will include the activities work undertaken based on the scope of work.
5. Qualifications, experience, skills and languages
Educational Qualifications:
Essential:
Under graduate degree - B.Tech/B.SC
Desirable
Post graduate degree M.Tech in Environmental Engineering or MSc in Environmental Sciences or M.Tech in Chemical Engineering or M. Tech in Bio-technology or Bio-chemical Engineering.
Experience
Essential:
At least one (1) year of experience in wastes and chemical management or environment protection or environment management or prevention and control of pollution
Desirable
Experience of working with a range of health care settings related to the thematic area
Skills/Knowledge
Languages and level required (Basic/Intermediate/Advanced):
Proficiency in English and working knowledge of Hindi and/or one additional Indian language is preferred.