Jobs
Editing Consultant Vacancy at Save the Children International, Abuja
Save the Children International is a 'dual mandate' organisation and as
such equal priority will be given to both humanitarian and development
work.
This is the only way we will be able to ensure that some of the
fundamental rights that we believe children have, such as survival,
safety and constant access to protection and education can be
guaranteed. As part of a commitment to work with children through
humanitarian interventions Save the Children will support programmes in
both sudden onset and chronic emergency situations.
We are recruiting to fill the position of:
Job Title: Editing Consultant - Maternal and Prenatal Death Surveillance and Response in Nigeria Guideline
Location: Abuja
Introduction
- Nigeria has the largest population in Africa with a currently
estimated population of over 175 million people1, increasing at 3.1
percent annually (2006 census). The total population of female aged
15-49 years, which constitute women of reproductive age, represents 51
percent of the total population of women; while adolescent girls aged
15-19 constitute over 11 percent of the same population.
- The country’s health system has two broad categories: the public
and the private-for-profit facilities. The public health facilities are
stratified into three levels: the primary, secondary and tertiary.
- These are respectively operated by the Local Government Area,
State and Federal Governments. It is estimated that the private sector
accounts for about 72% of the secondary level health care facilities in
Nigeria.
- These segments of the population are major contributors to
fertility as explained by the prevailing high Total Fertility Rate of
5.5; which ranges from as low as 4.7 in the urban to as high as 6.2 in
the rural areas.
- Based on the 2013 NDHS, 13.7percent of teenage girls in Nigeria
are already mothers or pregnant with their first child and most of these
girls lack access to appropriate health care arrangements for safe
conditions during pregnancy, labour and delivery and the post-partum and
neonatal period.
- This persistence of high maternal and perinatal mortality calls
for a review of existing strategies. Adopting the Maternal and Perinatal
Death Surveillance and Response (MPDSR), which is a veritable process
of identifying both direct and indirect causal factors of these deaths,
will enhance the efforts at preventing further deaths and provide more
credible data than currently exists.
Background
- The expected medical and social outcome of every intended
pregnancy is to have a healthy mother with a baby that is endowed with
full potentials for its own existence and survival. This outcome is
cherished in Nigeria that is home to one-in-five Africans, with its
population of over 175 million, an estimated 1% of global population.
- Incidentally, the country accounts for a disproportionate 10% of
global maternal deaths; with the death of 33,000 women each year, and
for every maternal death at least seven newborns die and a further four
babies are stillborn. If the country’s quests to attain the Millennium
Development Goals 4 & 5 by 2015 and be ranked among the top 20
leading global economies by 2020 are to remain on course, these
mortalities must be sharply reduced.
- Recent global estimates suggest that annual pregnancy-related
deaths of more than 4.3 million continue to outstrip the combined burden
of deaths from AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria of 3.9 million, despite
international efforts. Almost 99% of these deaths occur in the
developing countries while Sub-Sahara Africa accounts for more than half
of all.
- In Nigeria, the common causes of maternal deaths are
haemorrhage, infections, hypertensive diseases, obstructed labour and
unsafe abortion; similarly, most perinatal deaths result from perinatal
hypoxia, preterm delivery and infection.
- Although these factors prevail in both developed and developing
countries, the issues are compounded in the latter by the socio-cultural
milieu, poverty, lack of essential amenities and deficient health care
services.
- Although these sporadic surveys have given these broad insights
into the determinants of maternal and perinatal deaths, their findings
fall short of the needed information for preventing future deaths in the
different locations and settings of Nigeria where large numbers of
deaths of mothers and newborns occur.
- A similar pattern applies to perinatal deaths. A major reason
for the wide disparity in these burdens of maternal and perinatal deaths
across countries rest in the manner the problem is confronted; whereas
known evidence-based interventions are deployed into preventing maternal
and perinatal deaths in the developed countries, this is less
applicable to their developing counterparts.
- Secondly, for every maternal and perinatal death that occurred
in the former, a review is carried out to understand and identify gaps
in services that warranted the death with a view to preventing
recurrences.
- This medical audit process, which compels the health system to
reflect on what might have gone wrong at each maternal death is
non-existent in many developing countries including Nigeria.Researches
on maternal and perinatal mortality in Nigeria and elsewhere have shown
that the leading causes of both are linked and are preventable.
Purpose of Consultancy
- The Purpose of this consultancy is to Edit The National
Guidelines and tools for Maternal and Perinatal Death Surveillance and
Response in readiness for printing. This will in turn facilitate the
scale up of its implementation.
Key Skills/ Experience and Tasks
- An experienced Editor with specialisation in Health or related fields, of not less than 10 years in practice.
- Must have sound communication, analytical and writing skills
- As at when necessary liaise with the State Ministries of Health,
NPHCDA, FMOH, NGOs and other key stakeholders in the process of
executing this consultancy.
- Have been involved or managed MNCH projects in the past.
- Past experience in development/ review of similar documents will be a major advantage.
Deliverables:
- Revised National Guidelines and Tools on Maternal and Perinatal Deaths surveillance and Response in electronic versions.
- A comprehensive report of the consultancy.
- All submissions shall be in both electronic and hard copies.
How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply
Application Deadline 7th December, 2015.