Consultant to design and implement a cost-effectiveness learning study in Uganda

The main purpose of the consultancy is to design and implement a cost-effectiveness learning study in the regions where the PMI Uganda Malaria Reduction Activity operates, to measure the average costs needed to provide the ‘Household Action Against Malaria model’ (MAAM/H) intervention for each unit of value (effectiveness) produced by MAAM/H compared to no MAAM/H intervention (the GOU’s traditional MAAM approach) to estimate the value for money of the MAAM/H approach and inform future decisions related to MAAM implementation.

A.    Background: 
The USAID-funded PMI Uganda Malaria Reduction Activity (MRA) aims to strengthen the capacity of malaria prevention and ownership of health at the community and household levels, while maintaining gains made at the health facility level in the five highest-burden regions of Uganda (Acholi, Busoga, Karamoja, Lango, and West Nile). Current and past malaria programs have strengthened national, district, and health facility level capacities, but have not fully realized strategic approaches for community and household prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of malaria. The Activity works with the Government of Uganda both at national and subnational levels to improve technical, managerial, financial, and leadership capacity and accountability at all levels of the health care delivery system, to improve access and use of high-quality malaria services, focusing on communities. It also supports targeted private for-profit health facilities to improve malaria case management and reporting. MRA has adapted the ‘Mass Action Against Malaria’ approach launched by the government of Uganda as a multi-sectoral strategy for responding and eliminating malaria at all levels including the household level. MRA’s focus of implementation is at the household level whilst engaging leaders at all levels right from the national to the community levels by ensuring we have a well-coordinated, effective, and sustainable malaria response program.
Mass Action Against Malaria (MAAM) – the government of Uganda’s (GOU) multisectoral implementation approach – aims to attain Uganda’s vision of a malaria free Uganda with a slogan – “Am I malaria free today?”. MAAM aims to reach every household with malaria interventions where malaria is everyone’s business. This requires robust action from everyone to mitigate against the severe effects of malaria including rampant sickness, high health expenditure coupled with low productivity levels leading to poverty and death. MRA has adapted the MAAM approach for implementation at household level and named it ‘Household Action Against Malaria model’ (MAAM/H). This implementation approach empowers communities to own malaria prevention, management, and control interventions at the household level by ensuring that they remain malaria free over time and thus become MAAM Smart Households. To become a MAAM Smart Household, households must demonstrate that specific malaria prevention measures are in place and that no one from their household has tested positive for malaria over the last 6 months. 
During implementation, MRA will intentionally learn from the implementation of activities through a systematic process of asking questions and drawing on evidence to illuminate grey areas, capture good practices for replication and sharing, and improving activity coordination and execution. To find answers to one of the learning questions in MRA’s learning agenda – ‘’What are the most cost-effective and sustainable approaches for scaling up MAAM Smart Households in target regions?’’, MRA seeks the services of a consultant to design and technically coordinate the implementation of a learning study between 2023 and 2024.

B. Objectives: 
The main purpose of the consultancy is to design and implement a cost-effectiveness learning study in MRA regions to measure the average costs needed to provide the MAAM/H intervention for each unit of value (effectiveness) produced by MAAM/H compared to no MAAM/H intervention (the GOU’s traditional MAAM approach) to estimate the value for money of the MAAM/H approach and inform future decisions related to MAAM implementation. The specific objectives include:

• Design and implement a cost-effectiveness learning study in collaboration with the MRA team to successfully answer the learning question ‘’What are the most cost-effective and sustainable approaches for scaling MAAM Smart Households in target regions?’’ including defining research methods, developing research protocol, and obtaining ethical approval.
• Disseminate study results to the MRA team, MOH, USAID and make recommendations to feed into the MRA implementation approach for MAAM Smart Households.
• Support the MRA team to document and develop knowledge products based on findings from the learning study.

C. Specific Tasks: 

• Conduct a desk-based review of existing literature on cost-effectiveness studies in the public health field, emphasizing community malaria response activities, as well as MAAM policies and implementation resources to inform plans for implementing the learning study.
• Define appropriate methods and scope for implementing the cost-effectiveness learning study that align with both JSI and USAID standards for conducting research.
• Develop appropriate data collection tools, guides, standards and approaches for implementation, working closely with the MRA team
• Obtain ethical approval from all required institutions with support from the MRA team
• Implement the learning study across the 5 MRA-supported regions based on the agreed scope, methodology , timelines and quality standards .
• Summarize findings and make recommendations in a detailed report to inform MAAM implementation approaches and strategies in the MRA regions as well as to inform policy decision making at the national level.
• Present findings in a succinct power point presentation to the MRA team and other stakeholders such as the MoH, USAID and in-country malaria implementing partners and support the documentation and development of knowledge products based on findings from the research. 

D. Deliverables: 
[Include list of concrete deliverables and estimated LOE (in days) required for EACH deliverable]

• The consultant is expected to deliver the following;
• Protocol detailing the scope and methods for implementing the learning study that meets ethical standards of JSI and local institutional review boards. 
• Study implementation plan with clearly defined timelines 
• Study report in MS Word and a succinct power point with key findings and recommendations 
• Clean data set in appropriate formats such as Excel, STATA etc. and analysis files such as Do-Files and data dictionaries. 

E. Proposed timeline (estimate):

• Desk-based review – 2 days
• Draft study protocol including data collection tools for IRB submission – 10 days
• Draft study implementation plan – 5 days
• Implement study – (to be determined based on methodology)
• Draft report – 10 days
• Present to MRA team and/or MOH – 10 days (by August 31, 2024)

F. Requirements for Experience and Qualifications:

• Masters degree in health economics, health policy, sustainable development. PhD in the mentioned fields prefered. 
• Strong experience implementing cost-effectiveness studies in the health or similar field.
• Experience conducting research in Sub-Saharan Africa, Uganda preferred.
• Clear understanding of Uganda’s public health landscape and policy environment especially in relation to malaria programming.
• Experience working with government level institutions and line ministries.

Please submit your CV and optional cover letter to pumrajobs@jsi.com.

Consultant Statement of Work

Date Issued: August 11, 2023 12:00 am
Due Date: August 22, 2023 5:00 pm EST

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