Health Information System (HIS) Consultant at Amhara Regional Health Bureau

Report To:                     Amhara Regional DUP Coordinator/Focal Person             

Duty Station:                Bahir Dar, Amhara Regional Health Bureau

Consultancy Period:   September 1, 2022 – January 31, 2023

Summary Statement of Duties and Responsibilities:

Ethiopia Data Use Partnership (DUP) is a program implemented jointly by Ethiopia’s Ministry of Health (MOH) and JSI Training and Research Institute, Inc. (JSI) to enhance collection, aggregation and use of high quality data including routine health information at different levels to achieve MOH’s Information Revolution agenda as stated in the Health Sector Transformation Plan. The Ethiopia Data Use Partnership (DUP) plans to hire a Health Information System (HIS) consultant to be embedded in the office of Amhara Regional Health Bureau for the duration of five months.

The HIS consultant will be responsible for leading efforts of restoring, recovering and strengthening HIS infrastructures and services in the war affected health facilities in the Amhara region to improve the ecosystem of data quality assurance and information use for monitoring and evaluation, learning, and informed decision making within the regional health system.  He/ She will be responsible for maintaining regular communications with the regional HIS workers, and assist the day-to-day technical activities related to HIS restoration in the war affected health facilities. He/ she will be a member of relevant Technical Working Groups (TWGs) formed by ARHB to improve the management of the regional health management information system and the data quality assurance activities. He/ she will act as a regional trainer for building the capacity of health managers and staff on health information system, data quality assurance, data analysis and information use. He/ she is expected to have a hands-on experience in health information management system design and strong analytical and presentation skills, with analysis of statistical significance or survey results.

As a HIS consultant of DUP’s embedded engagement within the regional Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Department, the consultant will coordinate DUP’s support by closely working with relevant staff/representatives of the ARHB including DUP’s staff. A few of the specific tasks in this regard include but not limited to; have a weekly or bi-weekly regular update with the leadership team, identify priorities and share to the DUP team, make sure DUP responds to the identified and agreed priorities as it applied in the agreed action plan, make sure DUP supported activities are owned and led by the relevant department, participate in relevant meetings and promote DUP’s role and share outcomes of these meetings to the DUP team, serve as a link person between DUP, RHB and partners engaged in the HIS recovery works.

Detailed Responsibilities and Tasks:

• Manage DUP’s HIS activities within health facilities and system across war affected health facilities in Amhara region, and ensuring successful achievement of the defined goals.
• Lead and monitor activities related to HIS restoration and recovery in collaboration with health workers from the Amhara Regional Health Bureau (ARHB) and other partners.
• Coordinate DUP’s support to the HIS recovery action plan implementation in the health facilities and sites affected by the war; and help facilitate the interaction between DUP and partners engaged in the recovery and make relationship healthy.
• Conduct two rounds of RDQA; one at baseline and the other at end line in the war affected sites to monitor the changes and appreciate the results.
• Create a DHIS-2 dashboard specially tailored to the sites to analyze and visualize selected programmatic and data quality related issues.
• Train health managers and health information system workers on data use, data quality assurance and implementation of digital health tools.
• Organize and provide site level HIS supportive supervisions and mentorships to improve DHIS-2 functionality, reinstate PMTs, improve data quality and the HMIS at large
• Organize and conduct HIS review meetings specific to the war affected areas to deliberate on existing challenges and seek solutions
• Ensure the availability of HMIS recording and reporting tools in these sites. Facilitate the distribution of such tools including registers, PMT logbooks, information display boards to the sites.
• Participate in regular weekly and monthly meetings with DUP embedded staff at ARHB to make sure that all DUP support in the recovery effort is delivered and implemented in line with the national and regional HIS recovery plan and goal.
• Ensure quality and timeliness of work plan implementation and completion of activities within budget and act timely in case of under and/or overspending.
• Maintain open and cordial communication with all DUP staff at regional and central levels; and coordinate with the DUP staff to also work on other priorities as assigned by DUP’s regional coordinator and cluster lead.
• Play a crucial role in making sure a good interface between DUP, ARHB and partners is created/maintained to facilitate joint development and implementation of activities.
• Compile, organize, develop and share periodic reports of the data use team, and identify, prepare and share best practices