Background

Maternal and Perinatal Death Surveillance and Response (MPDSR) is a continuous surveillance and reporting process that links the health information system with quality improvement processes from local to national levels. It includes routine identification, notification, quantification, case review, and determination of causes for all maternal and perinatal deaths, as well as the use of this information to respond with actions that will prevent future deaths. Surveillance is instrumental for planning, implementation, and evaluation of clinical and public health practices. Reduction of preventable maternal and perinatal deaths is the goal of MPDSR. It is therefore important to get information to better understand what can be done to prevent maternal and perinatal deaths in addition to having statistics on maternal and perinatal mortality which will also help to identify key actions required for the health sector and community for improving clinical outcomes.

A well-functioning MPDSR system requires qualitative, in-depth investigations of the causes of, and circumstances surrounding, maternal and perinatal deaths that occur in health facilities. Verbal autopsies of reported maternal and perinatal deaths are conducted to determine the cause of deaths, and to ascertain the clinical, personal, family, or community factors that may have contributed to the death. Hospitals identified for MPDSR are expected to undertake this review within 24 hours of reported deaths, and the completed forms are reviewed by the hospital MPDSR committee to identify areas for improvement in case handling, and to enter all information and findings into the MPDSR online portal.

SSBH has a mandate to help improve the functioning of the MPDSR system in selected hospitals in its operational area and is seeking the services of a qualified consultant to lead a review of MPDSR practices and provide recommendations for strengthening the review, reporting and response to maternal and perinatal deaths in these hospitals.

Scope of the Assignment

The consultant will work closely with the Family Welfare Division (FWD), Ministry of Social Development (MoSD) in Karnali Province and SSBH team to review current practice, status, opportunities and challenges of conducting MPDSR in hospitals Mugu, Humla, Dolpa, Kalikot, Surkhet, Jumla districts and share observations, findings and recommendations to improve the process with provincial health officials and the FWD. 

Below is the list of illustrative tasks for completing the assignment and the expected level of effort (LOE) for each task:

• Finalize the plans, methods, and materials for conducting the review with FWD and SSBH (2 days). 
• Share plan and approach to MoSD and Health Directorate in Karnali Province (1 day). 
• Hold consultative meeting(s) with Hospital MPDSR Team to review MPDSR process, data, observation with selected hospitals (6 hospitals x 3 days = 18 days and with Provincial level MPDSR committee (1 day)) using MPSDR Review Tool (Annex 1, with necessary adaptation) as per the revised MPDSR Guideline 2021
• Synthesize key observations, findings, and way forward from all hospitals (5 days) 
• Present key observations, findings, and way forward to MoSD, FWD and SSBH (3 days)
• Prepare a draft report, share for inputs, finalize based on inputs and submit final deliverables (i.e. slide deck and report) (5 days). 

Location and Travel

• Initial work to be performed in the SSBH offices in Kathmandu and travel to provincial headquarter (Surkhet) and selected hospitals (Mugu, Humla, Dolpa, Kalikot, Surkhet, Jumla) 

Timeframe

• Tentatively August 10 – September 30 

Expected Deliverables

• Plan, data collection tools and guidelines to hold hospital level MPDSR review and synthesis
• Power Point Slide-deck (~20 slides) of key observation and findings
• A report (~20 pages, excluding annexes) outlining background, methods, findings and recommendation/way forward

Requirements

• Master’s degree in Medicine (MD) in relevant field or Bachelors degree in Medicine and Surgery (MBBS) with Public Health degree and prior experience in MPDSR 
• At least five years of experience in maternal health, with proven experience conducting/facilitating/reviewing MPDSR at hospital level
• Willing and able to travel to remote locations in Karnali Province
• Excellent communication and report writing skills in Nepali and English 

Applying Procedures

SSBH requests the Consultant to submit the cover letter with update Curriculum Vitae by e-mail in MS Word and/or PDF to: [email protected] by close of business August 3, 2022, with subject line “Review of Maternal Perinatal Death Surveillance and Response”. 

SSBH is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender and culture. Individuals from minority groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. Only the shortlisted candidates will be contacted for the further selection process. Canvassing at any stage of the process shall lead to automatic disqualification.