National Consultancy: Postnatal Care Gap Analysis and Guideline Revision, TANZANIA.
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Job no: 584251
Contract type: Consultant
Duty Station: Dar-es-Salaam
Level: Consultancy
Location: United Republic of Tanzania
Categories: Health
UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.
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Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.
For every child, the right to life.
Postnatal Care (PNC) the care provided to mothers and newborns immediately after birth and throughout the first six weeks of life is a critical yet underutilized component of the maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH) continuum. In Tanzania, while notable progress has been made in improving antenatal care coverage and skilled birth attendance, PNC lags significantly behind and reduction in newborn mortality has more or less stagnated with mortality rates at 25 per 1,000 live births in 2015 only reduced to 24 per 1,000 live births in 2022. According to the Tanzania Demographic and Health Survey (TDHS) 2022, only 54% of newborn received postnatal check in the first 2 days/48 hours and 41% of newborns never received PNC at all. The situation is more concerning in rural and hard-to-reach areas, where access, awareness, and resources are limited. The report found that while 61% of newborns received postnatal care in urban areas, only 51% is reached in rural areas. Key systemic challenges include fragmented service delivery, inadequate health worker capacity to implement PNC protocols, poor documentation and follow-up systems, weak integration with community health services, and sociocultural barriers that limit early care-seeking behavior.
As Tanzania moves toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and Universal Health Coverage as well as the newly launched Tanzania vision 2050, addressing these gaps is crucial to reducing maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality.
How can you make a difference?
RATIONALE
Despite national guidelines and global commitments, the low coverage and inconsistent quality of PNC services indicate a disconnect between policy and practice. A systematic gap analysis is required to understand where, why, and how PNC services are falling short. This will inform strategic investments, innovations, and improvements that are rooted in evidence and tailored to the Tanzanian context.
The findings from this analysis will support the Ministry of Health, development partners, and implementing actors in designing context-appropriate solutions to ensure that every mother and newborn receives high-quality, timely, and respectful care during the postnatal period.
SCOPE OF WORK
The consultant will collaborate with the Ministry of Health, through the Department of Reproductive, Maternal and Child Health (DRMCH), and UNICEF to undertake this assignment. A secondary analysis of existing postnatal care (PNC) data from DHIS2, GOTHOMIS, Afya Yetu, and the Unified Community Solution will first be conducted to establish the current status of PNC uptake. This will be followed by a desk review of peer-reviewed literature on PNC published since 2019.
Building on these findings, a targeted and limited qualitative data collection exercise will then be carried out on two sites, one rural and one urban, and at national, regional and council management levels to provide deeper insights and contextual understanding. Findings from all three steps will inform the revision of the PNC guideline.
Overall Objective:
To conduct a comprehensive gap analysis of postnatal care services to inform strategic interventions aimed at improving maternal and newborn outcomes in Tanzania.
Specific Objectives:
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Assess the status of PNC service delivery across health facility and community levels.
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Identify policy, system, and operational barriers affecting the availability, quality, and uptake of PNC services.
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Examine the capacity of health workers, infrastructure and referral systems to deliver effective PNC.
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Explore community-level awareness and sociocultural factors influencing PNC utilization.
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Analyze the adequacy and functionality of data systems used to track and improve PNC coverage and quality.
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Revise the current PNC guideline.
For more information about the work assignments, deliverables, timeline and payment percentage for each deliverable of this consultancy, please click the following link to access the TOR of the consultancy 
TOR - Postnatal Care Gap Analysis an Guideline Revision.pdf
To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…
Minimum requirements:
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Advanced degree (master’s or MMed) in public health, maternal, newborn and child health, primary health care, health management or related field
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10 years or more of health care research and/or programming or policy
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In-depth understanding of evaluation and research
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Track record of published evaluations, assessments and/or studies
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Strong background in guideline development and review
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Fluency in written and spoken English is required.
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Proficiency in Swahili is an asset.
For every Child, you demonstrate...
UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values
The UNICEF competencies required for this post are…
(1) Builds and maintains partnerships
(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness
(3) Drive to achieve results for impact
(4) Innovates and embraces change
(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity
(6) Thinks and acts strategically
(7) Works collaboratively with others
Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.
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UNICEF encourages applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic backgrounds, and from people with disabilities, including neurodivergence. We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF provides reasonable accommodation throughout the recruitment process. If you require any accommodation, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF. Should you be shortlisted, please get in touch with the recruiter directly to share further details, enabling us to make the necessary arrangements in advance.
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Remarks:
As per Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity.
UNICEF is committed to fostering an inclusive, representative, and welcoming workforce. For this position, eligible and suitable female are encouraged to apply.
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Deadline: E. Africa Standard Time