KP TA - Support for District Health Offices and National Health Support Programme in the Development of Integrated District Health Action Plans in Selected Districts

Programme Overview 

Evidence for Health (E4H) is a Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO)-funded programme aimed at strengthening Pakistan's healthcare system, thereby decreasing the burden of illness and saving lives. E4H provides technical assistance (TA) to the Federal, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), and Punjab governments, and is being implemented by Palladium along with Oxford Policy Management (OPM).

Through its flexible, embedded, and demand-driven model, E4H supports the government to achieve a resilient health system that is prepared for health emergencies, responsive to the latest evidence, and delivers equitable, quality, and efficient healthcare services. Specifically, E4H delivers TA across three outputs:

Output 1: Strengthened integrated health security, with a focus on preparing and responding to health emergencies, including pandemics.

Output 2: Strengthened evidence-based decision-making to drive health sector performance and accountability.

Output 3: Improved implementation of Universal Health Coverage, with a focus on ending preventable deaths.

Position Summary

The primary objectives of developing an integrated DAP on health include: 

1.  Gather and triangulate relevant data from multiple sources to assess the district’s health status, including disease burden, service coverage, workforce capacity, infrastructure, and resource availability.
2. Ensure alignment of district health priorities with national and provincial policies, including the EPHS.
3. Identify priority health interventions using available data and a participatory, stakeholder-driven process.
4. Optimise the allocation of financial and human resources to maximise health service delivery and outcomes.
5. Strengthen district health management and coordination mechanisms to support effective and responsive health service delivery.
6. Develop and implement a M&E framework to track progress, assess impact, and inform adaptive management of the plan

Scope of Work and Methodology

The technical assistance will focus on building capacity and providing hands-on support at both the facility and DHO levels. The team will work in close coordination with the DHPMTs and district stakeholders, ensuring ownership, capacity transfer, and sustainability.

The approach will combine technical guidance, participatory planning, and continuous engagement focused on review, dialogue, and capacity strengthening at the district and facility levels. The team will engage closely with DHOs, key health programme staff, local government stakeholders, and development partners to ensure inclusive planning and ownership, while also coordinating with allied sectors and relevant government departments such as finance, and planning and development to foster alignment and collaboration.

The process will include a comprehensive review of relevant policy documents, plans, and program guidelines; stakeholder meetings at district and provincial levels to build consensus and align efforts; in-depth interviews with DHOs, program managers, frontline health workers, and community representatives to gather contextual insights and identify local priorities; thematic consultations and validation workshops to co-develop and refine Integrated DAP and continuous coordination with allied sectors and government departments (e.g., finance, planning, local government) to promote multisectoral alignment.

Key Areas of Work

Preparation and Coordination for Planning

• Support the re-notification of DHPMTs, ensuring representation from key health programs, allied sectors, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), and development partners.
• Revise DHPMT Terms of Reference (TOR) to clarify objectives, deliverables, roles, and reporting mechanisms.
• Establish clear timelines, communication protocols, and responsibility matrices to guide the planning process. 

Review and Alignment with Policy Guidelines

• Desk review of the federal and provincial policies, including National Health Vision, KP Health Policy & Strategic Plan, EPHS, UHC Roadmap, and other relevant strategic documents.
• Desk Review of the vertical programs such as Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child, and Adolescent Health & Family Planning (RMNCAH & FP), Tuberculosis (TB), Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI), Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), Hepatitis and others alongside government performance frameworks such as the Medium-Term Budgetary Framework (MTBF), donor commitments, and PC-I targets. This review will help to identify the key performance indicators of each programme, understand funding allocations and list specific deliverables such as target immunization coverage, contraceptive prevalence rate, skilled birth attendance targets, TB case detection and treatment success rates etc.

Design of Interventions

Develop evidence-based and context-specific interventions that address the priority health needs of the population, with a focus on improving access, quality, and equity in service delivery.

• Interventions will be prioritized based on the EPHS approved for KP, ensuring alignment with provincial health policy and service delivery.

• For each selected intervention, a detailed description will be provided covering:
• Infrastructure requirements, including facility upgrades or establishment of new service delivery points.

• Human resource needs, specifying required staff categories, deployment plans, and capacity-building measures.
• Medical equipment and supplies, aligned with EPHS service delivery standards.
• Essential medicines, with emphasis on availability, quantification, and alignment with the provincial Essential Medicines List.
• Health system enablers, including:

• Strengthening of supply chain and procurement systems for timely and efficient delivery of commodities.
• Enhancement of HIS for accurate data collection, analysis, and decision-making.
• Robust M&E mechanisms to track performance, measure outcomes, and support adaptive management.

• All interventions will be designed to be gender-responsive, equity-focused, and culturally appropriate, with particular attention to the needs of underserved populations, including those in remote and conflict-affected areas.
• The design process will also incorporate WHO’s health systems building blocks to ensure a comprehensive and sustainable approach to health system strengthening.

Designing the Financial Plan & Operational Plan

• Develop detailed financial plans based on the costing conducted, incorporating input-based, activity-based, and program-based budgeting. Ensure alignment with provincial financial frameworks.
• Prepare comprehensive budget tables covering all critical components, including:
  • Infrastructure improvements,
  • Human resources and capacity building,
  • Procurement of equipment, supplies, and essential medicines,
  • Health systems strengthening areas such as supply chain, health information systems, monitoring and evaluation, and governance.

• Include contingency allocations for potential health emergencies (e.g., disease outbreaks, natural disasters), ensuring system responsiveness and continuity of essential services.
• Develop a detailed operational plan, including:
  • A structured activity matrix linked to each intervention, showing timelines, responsible units, and key outputs.
  • A Gantt chart to visualize sequencing, dependencies, and implementation pace.
  • A coordination calendar to facilitate alignment across departments, development partners, and vertical programs, and to schedule regular progress reviews.
• Ensure that the financial and operational plans are:
  • Fully synchronized with the EPHS service delivery model,
  • Feasible within the available fiscal space,
  • Responsive to geographic and population-specific needs, and
  • Designed to support accountability, transparency, and effective resource utilization at all levels of the health system.

Developing the Monitoring & Evaluation Plan

• Develop a comprehensive M&E plan fully aligned with the implementation of the EPHS and integrated into the existing M&E framework for KP.
• Establish a comprehensive results-based M&E framework that defines indicators across all levels of the results chain—inputs, processes, outputs, outcomes, and impact—linked to the prioritized EPHS interventions and health systems strengthening components (e.g., HR, supply chain, information systems, governance).
• Define clear data sources, reporting mechanisms, and feedback loops to ensure timely, accurate, and actionable information flow from health facilities to district and provincial levels. This includes leveraging digital platforms such as DHIS-2, LMIS for effective monitoring.
• Build institutional and human resource capacity for high-quality data collection, validation, analysis, and use at the provincial, district, and facility levels, enabling evidence-based decision-making and course correction.
• Establish regular review mechanisms, such as quarterly and annual performance reviews, supportive supervision visits, and stakeholder coordination meetings, to monitor progress, address bottlenecks, and document lessons learned.
• Incorporate equity-focused and gender-sensitive indicators to assess service coverage and outcomes across different population groups and geographies, supporting the goal of inclusive, accountable, and transparent EPHS implementation.

Responsibilities

The Research Associate Informatics will work to achieve the following:

1. Support in establishment and operationalization of DHPMTs with updated TORs, coordination protocols, and responsibility matrix.
2. Facilitate the desk review and synthesize findings into a structured matrix aligning policies, vertical programs, and performance frameworks.
3. Support in development of the district health situation report, including data triangulation, SWOT analysis, and equity scorecards.
4. Assist in developing Resource availability and gap analysis report
5. Support in District Health Intervention and Results Framework aligned with EPHS, UHC, and WHO system building blocks.
6. Support in the costing and budget plan, ensuring activity-based and program-based budgeting tied to prioritized interventions.
7. Assist in the organizational strengthening plan with revised governance structures, SOPs, and performance systems.
8. Support in the financial and operational plan with detailed budget tables, Gantt charts, and coordination calendars.
9. Assist in developing the monitoring and evaluation framework, integrating KPIs, reporting tools, and feedback mechanisms.
10. Support in developing the draft integrated DAP for health
11. Support in developing the final DAP report.
12. Record minutes, coordinate with stakeholders and ensure follow ups where required.

Timeline and Days

The level of effort (LOE) for the role is 70 days, from June 2025 to October 2026.

Requirement

Technical Expertise

• Bachelor’s in public health, Health Sciences, Development Studies, Social Sciences, or a related field.
• 5 years of experience.
• Experience in conducting desk reviews, synthesizing technical information, and supporting the development of structured matrices and reports.
• Skilled in documentation, coordination, and providing technical assistance across health planning and governance workstreams.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office tools (especially Word, Excel, and PowerPoint), with the ability to support analysis and presentation of findings.
•  Knowledge of district health systems, including roles of DHMTs, governance structures, and service delivery models.
• Ability to assist in developing strategic plans, resource gap analyses, and organizational strengthening documents.

 Competencies

• Strong coordination, communication, and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Excellent organizational and time management abilities to handle multiple tasks efficiently.
• Detail-oriented with good writing skills for technical documentation and reporting.
• Collaborative mindset and the ability to support diverse teams in fast-paced environments.
• Proactive and responsive, with a commitment to supporting effective and inclusive planning processes.