International Consultant to support the Conduct of National Health Accounts (NHA) ., Juba

PURPOSE OF THE POSITION:

Provide technical assistance to the Ministry of Health and key stakeholders to conduct South Sudan's National Health Accounts for the past three financial years: 2023/2024, 2024/25, and 2025/2026.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES:

South Sudan's health system continues to face significant financing challenges characterized by low domestic public investment, heavy dependence on external donor funding, weak risk-pooling mechanisms, fragmented financing arrangements, and high levels of out-of-pocket expenditure (34% in 2022). Government expenditure on health (2% in 2025) remains well below regional and global commitments, while development partners finance a substantial proportion of health services delivery. These financing patterns raise concerns regarding sustainability, efficiency, equity, and resilience of the health system.

The country is currently implementing the Health Sector Strategic Plan (2023-2027) and pursuing Universal Health Coverage (UHC), Primary Health Care (PHC) strengthening, and sustainable health financing reforms. However, evidence on the flow of financial resources within the health sector remains limited and fragmented. Comprehensive expenditure tracking is required to inform government budgeting, resource mobilization, donor coordination, strategic purchasing, health financing reforms, and monitoring of UHC progress.

The Government of the Republic of South Sudan, through the Ministry of Health (MoH), therefore proposes to undertake a comprehensive National Health Accounts (NHA) exercise to systematically track health spending in the country. This will generate information on health financing flows through the system, expenditure patterns, financing sources, pooling arrangements, purchasing mechanisms, management, and utilization of resources across the health system.

To support the Ministry of Health in conducting the NHA exercise, WHO seeks to engage an experienced International Consultant to provide technical leadership and hands-on support throughout the entire process, including stakeholders’ engagement, capacity building, data collection and management, analysis, report preparation, validation, and dissemination.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES:

Under the direct supervision of the team lead, Health Systems Development Cluster, with Overall, guidance from the WHO Representative, the incumbent works in close collaboration with the Ministry of Health (Directorate of Policy, Planning, Budgeting, Research and M&E, and other MOH directorates, Partners, UN agencies, and all relevant stakeholders.

• To conduct a desk review of the health financing landscape in the country using relevant documents -policies, strategies, guidelines, data sources, and relevant reports
• To develop a detailed workplan and implementation roadmap for the NHA exercise
• To set up a multi-stakeholder team to drive the NHA process
• To conduct a mapping of Stakeholders and institutions relevant to the NHA and the broader health financing space in the country
• To organize and facilitate stakeholder orientation and advocacy for the NHA
• To build the capacity of the National Health Accounts Core Team.
• To coordinate data collection from all relevant financing agents and health providers.
• To support data management, cleaning, coding, and analysis using SHA 2011 classifications.
• To conduct stakeholders’ consultative and validation meetings
• To facilitate interpretation of findings and preparation of NHA outputs.
• Develop an NHA Institutionalization plan for routine production of Health accounts within the MOH
• To finalize the NHA report and policy briefs for dissemination and decision-making.

Reporting Lines

The consultant will work under the overall guidance of the WHO Representative, South Sudan, and the direct technical supervision of the team lead, Health Systems Development Cluster. He/she will work in close collaboration with the Ministry of Health (Directorate of Policy, Planning, Budgeting, Research and M&E, and other MOH directorates. Partners, UN agencies, and all relevant stakeholders

Expected Deliverables

1. Inception report and workplan
2. South Sudan health financing landscape report
3. Stakeholders’ orientation and training reports
4. NHA core and data collection team training report
5. Final data collection tools and protocols
6. Clean and validated NHA database
7. Draft NHA report
8. Stakeholders’ consultations and validation workshop reports
9. Final NHA report
10. Policy briefs and NHA dissemination materials
11. NHA Institutionalization Plan
12. Final consultancy report

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education:

Essential: Master's degree in Statistics, Economics, Health Financing, Health Economics, Public Health, Health Policy, health systems, or related field from a recognized university.

Desirable:

Experience:

Essential:

• At least 7 years of experience in supporting health expenditure tracking using SHA 2011 methodology, especially in African countries or lower-middle- or low-income contexts.
• Competence in the use of the Health Accounts Production Tool
  Minimum 10 years of progressive experience working in health systems strengthening, including health financing, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa
• Experience in fragile and conflict-affected settings is an added advantage.

Functional Skills and Knowledge (Describe skills and knowledge specific to the post):

• Strong knowledge of the System of Health Accounts (SHA 2011 framework,
• Knowledge of the Health Accounts production tool
• Knowledge of Health financing analysis and expenditure tracking
• Excellent Capacity-building and facilitation skills.,
• Excellent statistical and analytic skills to translate data and information to knowledge products
• Excellent report writing skills
• Fluency in and good command of both written and spoken English language
• Able to work effectively in a diverse team environment

WHO COMPETENCIES:

• Teamwork
• Communication
• Producing results
• Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences

Remuneration

Consultancy fee equivalent to P4 paid monthly against agreed deliverables

Applicable DSA in accordance with WHO guidelines

Round-trip economy airfare

Languages:

Required: Excellent knowledge of written and spoken English

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

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