Consultant for Infection Prevention and Control Physician – (2502291)
Contractual Arrangement: External consultant
Contract Duration (Years, Months, Days): 6 months
Job Posting: Jun 12, 2025, 1:33:12 PM
Closing Date: Jun 27, 2025, 2:29:00 AM
Primary Location: Afghanistan-Kabul
Organization: EM_AFG WHO Representative’s Office, Afghanistan
Schedule: Full-time
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International Consultancy Contract for Infection Prevention and Control Physician to Lead the Implementation of the Infection Prevention and Control Component of the HER AF2 Project at National Level in Afghanistan
This consultancy is requested by:
Unit: WHO Health Emergency (WHE) Programme
Country Office Afghanistan
1. Purpose of consultancy
Lead the implementation of the IPC component of the HER AF2 project through provision of strategic guidance, clinical mentorship, and oversight for the rollout of infection prevention and control (IPC) interventions across 11 hospitals as part of the agreement with the World Bank to fulfil the commitments under the Health Emergency Response project Additional Financing 2 (HER AF2) in Afghanistan.
2. Background
Afghanistan continues to suffer the consequences of four decades of conflict, entrenched poverty, climate-induced crises, and barriers to women’s equality and participation in public life. This has negatively affected the lives of the Afghan people including growing unemployment, loss of livelihoods and assets, deteriorating health care systems, forced migrations, and other human rights violation.
The health system in Afghanistan continues to face enormous challenges due to conflict, under-resourcing, and weakened governance. Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) pose a significant threat to patient safety, especially in hospitals lacking adequate Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) infrastructure, trained personnel, and standardized practices.
Under the Health Emergency Response Project – Additional Financing 2 (HER AF2), funded by the World Bank, WHO is leading the support to the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) to strengthen infection prevention and control (IPC) in 11 strategically selected hospitals across multiple provinces. These hospitals were identified based on high or moderate surgical workloads and include regional, provincial, and district-level facilities where infection prevention and control are critical for patient safety and clinical outcomes.
The project focuses on two core domains: (1) foundational IPC infrastructure (policies, training, staffing, and equipment) and (2) implementation of targeted interventions to prevent surgical site infections (SSIs).
3. Planned timelines (subject to confirmation)
Start date: July 01, 2025,
End date: December 31, 2025
4. Work to be performed
Supervised by the WHE TL and under the overall guidance of the Head of the WHO Country Office, and working closely with counterparts at the Regional Office, the incumbent will act as an IPC Physician
Output 1: manage the IPC component of the HER AF2 project, assessment, support the revision and update of the IPC standard operating procedures, implementation actions at the selected 11 hospitals and provide guidance to the MoPH.
Output 2: establish and maintain good collaboration with partners (WB) and liaise with other units/teams within the Country Office, across the organization and partners for facilitating the implementation of the different activities under the IPC component of the HER project.
Output 3: responsible for reporting, performance assessment and evaluation of the IPC planned activities and ensure proper communication with partners and as appropriate.
Deliverables
1. Coordinate with the IHP team to manage IPC component in the context of HER project implementation and in line with the WHO and national IPC guidelines.
2. Conduct IPC capacity assessments using a modified infection prevention and control assessment framework (IPCAF) and identify facility-specific gaps and action plans.
3. Oversee implementation of WHO surgical site infection (SSI) prevention recommendations, including pre-operative antibiotic prophylaxis and environmental cleaning.
4. Mentor hospital IPC focal points and support the establishment and operationalization of IPC committees.
5. Develop and deliver modular, certificate-level training for senior facility staff and IPC focal points.
6. Support integration of SSI surveillance data into HMIS and collaborate with Central Public Health Laboratory for lab-confirmed SSI data.
7. Provide technical advice on the contextualization of IPC SOPs and IEC materials for hospital use.
8. Support analysis of SSI process indicators and recommend data-driven improvements.
9. Provide technical advice on procurement and use of IPC-related equipment and materials.
10. Prepare a comprehensive update on the Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) component for inclusion in donor progress reports. This should include key achievements, implementation status across the 11 HER-supported hospitals, challenges encountered, and planned next steps, in alignment with project indicators and deliverables
11. Join the technical discussions with the donor’s technical team, partners, and MoPH on the IPC component of the HER project, ensuring alignment with strategic objectives and technical standards.
5. Technical Supervision
The selected Consultant will work on the supervision of:
Responsible Officer (1st Supervisor):
Dr. Jamshed TANOLI
Email:
tanolij@who.int
Overall supervisor
Dr. Edwin Ceniza SALVADOR
Email:
salvadore@who.int
6. Specific requirements
Education:
· Essential: Master’s degree in Infectious Diseases, Public Health, or related fields.
· Desirable: specialization degree or training in IPC Experience
· Essential: from 5 to 10 years of relevant experience in developing, implementing and evaluating infection and prevention control policies, with minimum 5 years of international experience procedures and tools in low resource settings, and or health emergency response. International Experience is a requirement for an international consultancy.
· Previous work experience with WHO, other relevant UN Organizations or international NGOs
Skills/Knowledge
· Proven knowledge and skills in infection prevention and control, with experience performing IPC risk assessments and implementing IPC measures at facility level.
· Strong organizational and communication skills including ability to negotiate with National authorities and international partners.
· Demonstrated ability to work effectively with colleagues at national and international levels.
· Strong ability to execute and manage national health programme
Languages
· Excellent knowledge of English.
· Basic knowledge of Dari or Pashtu is desirable
7. Place of assignment (onsite)
The consultant will provide in-person consultancy in Afghanistan WHO CO in Kabul. Travels to other provinces may take place based on the target locations for the project.
8. Medical clearance
The consultant who will provide in-person consultancy for six months and will be expected to provide a medical certificate of fitness for work in Afghanistan.
9. Travel
It is expected that the consultant to be available to be present in Kabul and other provinces in Afghanistan to complete tasks under this consultancy
Travel dates
Location:
From:
July 01, 2025
To:
December 31, 2025
Kabul, Afghanistan
Purpose:
· To complete consultancy task
Additional Information
· This vacancy notice may be used to identify candidates for other similar consultancies at the same level.
Only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted.
A written test may be used as a form of screening.
If your candidature is retained for interview, you will be required to provide, in advance, a scanned copy of the degree(s)/diploma(s)/certificate(s) required for this position. WHO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU)/United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed through the link: http://www.whed.net/. Some professional certificates may not appear in the WHED and will require individual review.
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