Public Health Expert - Development of District Action Plans for the National Health Support Program in KP

Public Health Expert

KP TA - Development of District Action Plans for the National Health Support Programme in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

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.

Background

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) has made significant strides in reforming its health sector. The province operates under its own Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Health Policy (2018-25), which prioritises strengthening primary and secondary healthcare, improving governance, enhancing the quality of services, and addressing the burden of communicable and non-communicable diseases.

• The KP health system continues to face challenges, including poor planning, inadequate financial resources, and insufficient essential services, as well as issues with accessibility and equity, especially in National Health Support Programme (NHSP) priority districts. Barriers also include geographic isolation, inadequate infrastructure, shortages of skilled workers, weak health information systems, and inefficiencies in financial management. These challenges lead to poor health outcomes, particularly among vulnerable populations.
• A pivotal initiative designed to support these goals is the NHSP. The NHSP aims to strengthen health systems across three provinces in Pakistan, with a core focus on accelerating progress towards Universal Health Coverage (UHC). The programme's effectiveness is driven by a results-based financing modality, utilizing Disbursement-Linked Indicators (DLIs). These DLIs focus on ensuring that PHC facilities meet essential service delivery norms, particularly in areas with lagging performance, while also incorporating climate risk considerations.
• The NHSP seeks to address these challenges by strengthening health systems, promoting equity, and improving health outcomes across KP. A key performance indicator for accessing NHSP budget support through the recurrent budget is the development of District Action Plans (DAPs), which should also translate provincial priorities, including the Essential Package of Health Services (EPHS), into context-specific, actionable reforms at the district level

Problem Statement

• There is a recognised gap in the capacity of health management teams in NHSP prioritised districts to develop robust, evidence-based, and costed action plans that align with NHSP objectives and provincial health priorities. Existing plans (if available) often lack a strategic focus or are not sufficiently monitored, resulting in implementation inefficiencies and suboptimal health outcomes. There is an urgent need to provide technical assistance to selected priority districts in KP to develop comprehensive, realistic, and measurable DAPs that will directly contribute to accessing NHSP budget support.

Goal and Objective(s)

The goal is to develop evidence-based, cost-effective, and implementable DAPs for NHSP priority districts in KP to access financing, thereby strengthening local health systems and improving service delivery.

Specifically, to:

• Translate provincial health priorities (KP Health Policy, EPHS, NHSP) into district-level interventions.
• Under the leadership of Health Department, KP, facilitate a collaborative planning process with District Health Offices (DHOs) and key stakeholders to define strategic priorities and interventions.
• Develop comprehensive DAPs for the prioritised four districts (in each division), with clear objectives, activities, timelines, responsibilities, and a detailed budget.
• Strengthen the capacity of district health teams in strategic planning, budgeting, and monitoring & evaluation.
• Establish a robust monitoring framework for each DAP to track progress and ensure accountability.

Deliverables

The Public Health Expert will work on the following Deliverables.

1. Lead desk reviews, conduct situational analyses, facilitate district-level planning workshops, support DHMTs in developing the draft the DAPs.

2. Inception Report

3. Planning Workshop

4. Draft District Action Plans (One per priority district)

5. Final District Action Plans (One per priority district)

Timeline and Days

The level of effort (LOE) for the role is 50 days per month from September 2025 to December 2026.

Requirement

Technical Expertise

• Postgraduate degree in Public Health/Global Health. 15+ years of experience.
• Must have proven experience with content related to IHR, PHC, UHC and global health initiatives.

Competencies

• Analytical skills
• Proficiency in developing logical frameworks and indicators
• Training skills