TERMS OF REFERENCE (Re-publishing)

TERMS OF REFERENCE 

Name of Project: Physical Rehabilitation Activity (PRA) Program

Title of action: Hire consultant to develop “Telerehabilitation Protocol”

1. CONTEXT

Organisation background

Handicap International Federation (HI) is an independent and impartial not for profit organization working in situations of poverty and exclusion, conflict and disaster.  Since 2000, HI has been working in Nepal with Persons with Disabilities and vulnerable populations, focusing on their essential needs, improvement of their living conditions and promotion of their dignity and fundamental rights. HI Nepal has built its STRATOP for 2021-2024 on three main pillars which are as follows:  

• Health and Rehabilitation: Physical rehabilitation, provision and accessibility of rehabilitation services and sustainability of rehabilitation service.
• Inclusive Education: Implement projects related to inclusive education with much focus on girls and children with disabilities.
• Resilience: Support people with disability and vulnerable communities to adapt to both their environment and their socio-economic situation and provide livelihood opportunities.

Project background

USAID’s Physical Rehabilitation Activity is a five-year program that works to improve access to and quality and sustainability of the rehabilitation system in Nepal. Between June2019-June2024, the activity will help to establish a sustainable rehabilitation services system through a health system strengthening approach using the WHO Rehabilitation 2030 strategy as well as the WHO health system strengthening approach targeting six core areas: (i) governance and leadership (ii) health and rehabilitation human resources (iii) rehabilitation information system development (iv) medical and products including assistive products (v) finance (vi) service delivery.  The project works in close collaboration with the Epidemiology and Disease Control Division (EDCD)/Leprosy Control and Disability Management Section (LCDMS).

2. Scope of work (SoW)

In close coordination with EDCD/LCDMS and PRA-HI, the consultant is expected to carry following task:

• Share the work plan with EDCD/LCDMS and technical working group (TWG).
• Conduct situation analysis in total of three physiotherapy units. (Provincial hospital, at Surkhet, any one of the district level government physiotherapy units at  Karnali province and any one of the four physical rehabilitation centers (PRCs)- (Community Based Rehabilitation Biratnagar, National Disabled Fund- Kathmandu, Prerana rehabilitation Centre- Sarlahi,  Nepal National Social Welfare Association, Kanchanpur). 
• Lead TWG meetings to present the finding from situation analysis conducted and also share the draft version of telerehabilitation protocol integrating situation analysis findings and feedback received from TWG before finalizing it.

2.1. Background:

Telerehabilitation is a form of distant rehabilitation service provision using technologies such as telephone, video call when it is not feasible for face-to-face service delivery (Centre based or home visits). Telerehabilitation offers regular communication between members of rehabilitation team and real time assessment of the patient’s environment. Thus, it improves the patient’s satisfaction and quality of life cutting down the cost and labour of accessing healthcare.

Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP), Government of Nepal developed a national e-health strategy 2017 with a vision to facilitate equitable and high-quality health care services to enable all Nepali citizens to enjoy productive and quality lives as needed. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) as a part of e-health can have a significant role in promotive, preventive, curative, rehabilitative and palliative health care services in the context of Nepal. Nationally and globally, ICT is rapidly changing the health perspective in the form of e-health. Since the last two decades, the use of ICT has started to progressively accelerate into Nepal’s health sector. However, opportunities of telerehabilitation are yet to be implemented and nationalized in Nepal. The main objective of the tele rehabilitation intervention is to help the clients with limited access to rehabilitation services to get benefit from remote monitoring and support. Considering the scenario of Nepal, most of the times client who require rehabilitation follow up session are not been able to make the best use of rehabilitation services due to barriers like COVID-19 pandemic, transportation difficulties, financial hardship, unsupportive care givers to accompany to the rehabilitation units/centres, geographical challenges especially in rural part of Nepal.  Hence, telerehabilitation is a mode of approach used to overcome some of the barriers to accessing rehabilitation services. The mode of approaches could be via normal cell phone / smart cell phones where video could be connected through various social medias like viber, WhatsApp, facebook etc. 

Having said this, there are certain challenges in context of Nepal, especially in the rural part of the country where most of the citizens are not financially sound to afford smart cell phones to access video calls as one of the modes of telerehabilitation. Similarly, most of the citizens belonging to the rural part of the country are illiterate and are also highly engaged in house hold chores which could be another factor not to have interest in tele rehabilitation or telerehabilitation could be something which they would consider as a burden for not been able to manage time and to understand its importance.  However, to understand the depth of its implementation considering the country context and prioritizing telerehabilitation as one of the nationalized mechanisms to reach the unreached population for rehabilitation intervention, development of telerehabilitation protocol under the leadership of EDCD/LCDMS is vital. Prior to the development of telerehabilitation protocol, consultant is requested to also conduct situation analysis in a total of three physiotherapy units- Karnali provincial hospital, Surkhet- (Physiotherapy unit), any one of the government physiotherapy units in Karnali province and any one of the four physical rehabilitation centres (PRCs) –(Community Based Rehabilitation Biratnagar, National Disabled Fund- Kathmandu, Prerana rehabilitation centre- Sarlahi,  Nepal National Social Welfare Association, Kanchanpur) to derive the findings from situation analysis conducted which will further help in  development of telerehabilitation protocol.

2.2 Objective of the task

Develop telerehabilitation protocol under the leadership of EDCD/LCDMS.

2.3 Key responsibilities of consultant: (All the activities will be conducted under the leadership of EDCD/LCDMS)

• Share and discuss the work plan with EDCD/LCDMS.
• Conduct desk review of already existing documents related to tele health/medicine and telerehabilitation.
• Conduct situation analysis in Karnali provincial hospital, Surkhet- (Physiotherapy unit), any one of the district level government physiotherapy units at  Karnali province and any one of the four above mentioned PRCs to derive the findings for development of telerehabilitation protocol.  
• Lead two TWG meetings to share the findings of situation analysis and discuss the draft version of telerehabilitation protocol to gain feedback.
• Ensure all the feedback received from TWG meeting is in cooperated in the telerehabilitation protocol. 
• Finalize the telerehabilitation protocol and submit the final document to EDCD/LCDMS.

2.4 Intended audiences of telerehabilitation protocol: 

Rehabilitation professionals, doctors and nurses from government hospitals and rehabilitation professional from members of National Association of Service Provider in Rehabilitation (NASPIR), Nepal.

3. Consultant’s profile

4. Evaluation criteria

5. Service duration and location

• The assignment is expected to start by mid of May 2022, upon signing of the contract between the consultant and HI and the consultancy will be completed by 45 days. If the task will not be completed within the given time due to various circumstances, the consultant has to adjust the timeframe within the agreed budget.
• Location: Work from home/work place and visit at LCDMS (during technical working group meetings).

6. Key deliverables 

• 1st Deliverable: Work plan presented to LCDMS.
• 2nd Deliverable: first draft of telerehabilitation protocol and report of situation analysis conducted. 
• 3rd Deliverable: second draft of telerehabilitation protocol. 
• Final deliverable: final version of telerehabilitation protocol.

7. Contact person at HI

Within the framework of the service provision, the consultant will be asked to collaborate with PRA team and in particular with USAID’s Physical Rehabilitation Activities’ Rehabilitation Technical Advisor and Technical Rehabilitation Officer at Handicap International

8. Budget

The consultant should propose required budget for this consultancy. TDS which will be deducted as per the Government tax policy

9. Payment terms and conditions:

Consultant should mention the terms and conditions of payment in financial proposal and in line with HI policy

10. Basis for award of contract 

• Qualification of consultant
• Experience of consultant
• Specific Experience of the Consultant
• General Experience of the Consultant
• Technical rigour of approach outlined in the proposal
• Coherence of proposal; clear, credible, structured methodology
• Commitment to availability
• Value for money
• Screening will be done based on “Evaluation criteria

11. Required documents (for Individual)

• Cover Letter
• Resume
• Financial and Technical Proposal
• A brief concept note highlighting the methodological design including work plan, and quality assurance mechanism
• Publications in the field of tele rehabilitation
• Copy of PAN Registration Certificate
• Copy of Citizenship.

12. Required documents (for Firm)

• Cover Letter
• Resume
• Financial and Technical Proposal
• A brief concept note highlighting the methodological design including work plan, and quality assurance mechanism
• Publications in the field of tele rehabilitation
• Copy of VAT/PAN Registration Certificate
• Copy of Citizenship.
• Latest Tax clearance

Please send a cover letter and required documents to e-mail: p.neupane@hi.org. The last date for submitting the application is Sunday 22 May 2022. Please indicate the consultancy title while applying for on the subject of your cover letter.

Note: Those already applied do not need to reply.