Switzerland: Health Economist

1.Purpose of the Consultancy

This consultancy is required to provide economic expertise to support ongoing work on the development of tools and guidance material as well as health economic analyses on the cost of inaction and economic gains through sector policy change to reduce air and climate pollution. This work is conducted under the WHO Urban Health Initiative (UHI) pilot projects which aim to strengthen the capacity of the health system in developing countries to address the health impacts of air pollution and its sources, particularly at the local level. This position also supports the development of guidance material on potential economic instruments for local governments in decision making about the financing of urban planning interventions enhancing health.

2. Background

The WHO Urban Health Initiative is implemented in response to WHA Resolution 68.8 from May 2015, which requests WHO to build health sector capacity to work with other sectors, and support countries to identify effective interventions and track progress, while continuing to update the evidence for health impacts of air pollution.

As one of the responses to the resolution, WHO is implementing two pilot projects (one each in Accra, Ghana, and Kathmandu, Nepal) to address air pollution and related health effects in cities in low- and middle income countries (LMIC). The rationale of the project is to empower the health sector to realize its potential to support scaling up policy actions to mitigate air pollutants at the urban level. The desired impact of the project is to reduce deaths and diseases associated with air pollutants, as well as to realize climate and other health benefits (e.g. less injuries, better diets, safe physical activity), associated with policies and measures to tackle air pollution.

One critical component of the project is to further develop and apply health economic tools to enhance evidence of the economic and health effects of air pollution, which includes, for instance, the incorporation or update of economic modules within existing analytical health and economic tools, guidance for costing diseases and other health conditions linked to actions against air pollution, improving the assessment of the cost of interventions, and providing training and support on health economic-related issues. WHO and partner organizations will use this evidence to inform stakeholders and policy makers about health and other co-benefits of selected interventions that mitigate air pollution. Additional guidance material will be developed to inform local decision makers on the benefits and risks of eligible financing options to support interventions for healthy urban planning.

Results and outcomes of the Urban Health Initiative inform WHO’s general work on urban health and, in particular, on air pollution and health.

3. Planned timelines (subject to confirmation)

Start date: 19/08/2019

End date: 17/07/2020

4. Work to be performed

Provide support for the implementation of the health economic component of the ongoing UHI pilot projects in Accra (Ghana) and Kathmandu (Nepal):

• Support and review the health economic aspects of the health risk assessment of the health impacts of air pollution, considering various sector policy scenarios and focusing on priority sectors within each project.
• Review and contribute to the UHI project reports, including a summary analysis report as well as relevant publications on the analytical work for both pilot projects.
• Review and contribute relevant economic details and context to community outreach and awareness raising products, such as UHI health issue briefings, for both pilot projects.
• Liaise with international and local experts to coordinate health economic research and analysis work and ensure the documentation of process and results, including through the review and contribution to briefings produced for both projects.
• Through the UHI pilot project activities, support the development of guidance and tools to estimate the cost of inaction and conduct cost-effectiveness and cost-benefit analyses, including costing of diseases and health conditions related to action against air pollution, as well as costing of interventions.
• Throughout the UHI pilot project activities, coordinate the development of guidance for applying value of statistical life (VSL) estimates for developing countries and cities in health assessments of sectoral interventions and policies.

Provide technical guidance on the development and refinement of economic components of analytical tools assessing the health impact of air pollution as well as the health effects of sector specific tools currently under development (including AirQ+, iSThAT, HEAT):

• Support the development of methodologies informing the economic modules of AirQ+, closely collaborating with international and local experts leading the development process.
• Support and review the economic aspects linked to the global adaptation of the HEAT tool, including on the case studies related to the adaptation, in close collaboration with the HEAT development team.
• Support and review the economic aspects linked to other relevant transport tools under development (not yet released), such as iSTHAT, in close collaboration with the lead developer.

Develop guidance material on economic instruments that can be used by governments (with a focus on regional and local authorities) to create enabling urban environments for better health and well-being as well as to support implementation of healthy sectoral policies and interventions. These materials will focus on mechanisms including taxation, subsidies and other forms of financing, to support health enhancing urban/local strategies.

• Building on ongoing work of WHO’s health financing team, coordinate the development of a framework for mapping economic instruments with evidence-based health impacts that can be used by local governments to support urban/local strategies to enhance health through urban planning interventions.
• Based on the framework produced, develop the mapping on economic instruments with evidence-based health impacts that can be used by local governments to support urban/local strategies to enhance health through urban planning interventions, including WHO and other publications.
• Building on the results of the mapping, coordinate a systematic review on economic instruments to support urban/local strategies to enhance health through urban planning interventions.
• Considering the results of the systematic review, develop a report consolidating elements produced on previous deliverables.

5.Specific requirements

Qualifications required: Advanced university degree in economics, environmental economics, health economics or a related field.

Experience required: At least seven years of national and international experience in public health and epidemiological research at the national and international level. Experience working in the field of air pollution and health on city level in developing countries would be an asset.

Skills / technical skills and knowledge:

• Knowledge of health economic issues involving air pollution related disease control.
• Proficiency in data management, statistical analysis and software.
• Familiarity with health finance databases, methods and analyses, and with macro-economic growth models.
• Excellent interpersonal, networking and communication skills.
• Ability to manage many tasks concurrently and prioritize workload, in a pressured environment with competing demands and high expectations.
• Self-manager, including ability to demonstrate initiative and work on her/his own.
• Ability to work in a multicultural environment.
• Ability to promote cohesive action and engage with governments and stakeholders with tact and diplomacy.
• Ability to write in a clear and concise manner, and to present factual, data-driven information.
• Ability to develop cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness models.
• Ability to manage and analyse large data sets, and establish the nature of data sets needed.

Language requirements: Excellent written and spoken English, fluency in French or Spanish would be an advantage.

Place of assignment: The consultant will be expected to conduct this work in Geneva, Switzerland. The consultant may be expected to travel, upon request, at cost of WHO.

Medical clearance: The selected consultant will be expected to provide a medical certificate of fitness for work.

People interested in applying for this consultancy should send their CVs and a covering email highlighting any relevant experience(s) to Michael Hinsch (hinschm@who.int), copied to Dorcas Appiah Agbogla (appiahagboglad@who.int) by 4 August 2019 (23:59 CEST). Please include the subject line "Application for consultancy - Health Economist"