Opportunity: Health Economist Consultant Needed in Kebbi

Malaria remains a major global health challenge, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. In 2022, an estimated 249 million cases and 608,000 deaths were recorded, with children under five being the most affected. Despite ongoing efforts, progress in malaria elimination has slowed, and new strategies are essential to accelerate impact.

A breakthrough in malaria control is the introduction of two vaccines, RTS,S/AS01 and R21/Matrix-M, recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) for high-malaria transmission areas. As of now, 12 countries have integrated these vaccines into childhood immunization programs, including Nigeria, which launched its malaria vaccine program in November 2024.

However, the most effective method for vaccine delivery is still under evaluation. Since malaria transmission in many African regions is seasonal, it is crucial to optimize vaccine distribution to align with peak transmission periods.

Job Title: Health Economist Consultant

Location: Kebbi

Job Purpose

We seek a qualified Health Economist Consultant to conduct a comparative cost analysis of a hybrid vaccination schedule using different delivery approaches. The goal is to determine the most feasible and cost-effective model for malaria vaccine deployment in resource-limited settings.

Scope of Work

The consultant will support MC in generating evidence for an optimized malaria vaccine deployment model. The study will focus on analyzing costs associated with different immunization approaches, evaluating key financial outcomes such as:

• Program costs: Includes additional expenses for vaccination, promotional activities, training, logistics, and infrastructure.
• Incremental cost per vaccinated child.
• Incremental cost per completed vaccination series.

Methodology

The assessment will use both quantitative and qualitative approaches to measure the following components:

Program Costs

• Vaccination Costs: Covers expenses related to vaccine procurement, storage, transportation, and administration.
• Promotion Costs: Includes materials such as posters, flyers, and community outreach activities.
• Training Costs: Covers training of healthcare providers and community workers.
• Logistics & Infrastructure Costs: Assesses additional resources required for implementation, such as cold storage and transportation.

Measurement Methods

Demand Creation Costs

• Activity-based costing: Allocates costs to each promotional activity (e.g., printing, community outreach, media campaigns).
• Survey/interviews: Captures time spent by outreach workers and community engagement efforts.

Training Costs

• Cost analysis of training sessions: Documents expenses related to training materials, venues, and facilitator salaries.
• Staff time analysis: Estimates opportunity costs by tracking staff attendance and training duration.
• Focus groups/interviews: Evaluates training effectiveness and impact.

Logistics & Infrastructure Costs

• Facility assessments: Identifies additional infrastructure needs such as cold storage and transportation.
• Surveys/interviews: Engages health facility managers to assess logistical challenges.

Incremental Cost per Vaccinated Child

• Cost-per-child analysis: Calculates total program costs divided by the number of vaccinated children.
• Comparison analysis: Evaluates hybrid schedule costs versus the standard vaccination schedule.

Incremental Cost per Completed Vaccination Series

• Cohort analysis: Tracks children through the full vaccination process to determine completion rates.
• Cost-per-series calculation: Assesses total expenses per completed vaccination series.

Deliverables

The consultant will be responsible for delivering:

• Protocol for cost-effectiveness analysis.
• Tools for data collection.
• Inception report outlining scope, timeline, and methodology.
• PowerPoint presentation (max 25 slides) summarizing key findings.
• Comprehensive dataset in Microsoft Excel format.
• Transcripts and codes from data collection.
• Draft report with recommendations within 5 days post-assessment.
• Final consultancy report.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and implement a cost-effectiveness analysis protocol.
• Design costing tools and assumptions for data collection.
• Train data collectors on methodology and analysis.
• Engage relevant stakeholders.
• Conduct cost analyses and generate reports.

Qualifications & Experience

Essential Qualifications

• PhD (preferred) or Master’s degree in Economics, preferably Health Economics.
• Significant experience in health economics modeling and cost evaluations.

Experience & Knowledge

• Minimum of 10 years’ experience in cost analysis, budget impact assessments, and economic evaluations.
• Strong track record in similar projects over the past five years.
• Expertise in liaising with government and stakeholders on health financing and policy.
• Proven experience in health financing and budgeting.

Skills & Competencies

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Project).
• Excellent organizational and time management abilities.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively.
• Experience in data collection, management, and training.
• Strong communication and report-writing skills.
• Familiarity with malaria programs and the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI).
• Proven ability to produce academic research and reports.

Application Closing Date

16th April 2025