Consultancy on the Development of the Zambia National Human Resources for Health (Hrh) Strategic Plan (2027–2031)

Seed Global Health is supporting the Ministry of Health to contract an individual consultant to provide technical leadership and hands-on support for the development, costing, validation and finalization of the National HRH Strategic Plan 2027–2031. - Preamble / Introduction The Zambia Ministry of Health’s core mandate is to improve the health and well-being of the Zambian population by providing equitable access to cost-effective, quality healthcare services. This includes developing and implementing healthcare policies, programs, and regulations, and collaborating with other sectors to address the social determinants of health. The ministry also aims to achieve universal health coverage and contribute to the nation’s socioeconomic development by fostering a healthy and productive citizenry. The Ministry is leading the development of the National Human Resources for Health (HRH) Strategic Plan 2027–2031. The Strategic Plan will provide the national framework for strengthening the availability, distribution, competence, performance, retention, governance and sustainable investment in the health workforce in support of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and Primary Health Care (PHC). The development of the Strategic Plan will be Ministry-led and nationally owned, under the overall leadership of the Ministry of Health and the technical guidance and oversight of the National HRH Technical Working Group (TWG). The process will involve consultation with relevant Government institutions, health sector stakeholders, cooperating partners and other relevant actors.The Ministry of Health, with facilitation and support from Seed Global Health, therefore, seeks to engage a suitably qualified Local Consultant to provide technical leadership and hands-on support for the development, costing, validation and finalization of the National HRH Strategic Plan 2027–2031. - Background for this consultancy Health is a fundamental human right. The Government of the Republic of Zambia, through the Ministry of Health, is committed to achieving Universal Health Coverage and strengthening Primary Health Care through an adequate, competent, motivated, equitably distributed and sustainable health workforce. The National Human Resources for Health Strategic Plan 2018–2024 provided a framework for investments in health workforce governance, education and training, recruitment, deployment, retention, performance management and health workforce information systems. While significant progress has been made, Zambia continues to face health workforce challenges, including shortages, uneven distribution and low motivation, particularly in rural and underserved areas. To inform the next strategic planning cycle, Zambia undertook a comprehensive Health Labour Market Analysis (HLMA), generating evidence on workforce supply, population health needs, labour market dynamics, education and training capacity, financing and workforce projections up to 2037. The findings of the HLMA, together with outcomes and consensus emerging from the National Health Workforce Policy Dialogue, provide an important evidence base for the development of the next HRH Strategic Plan. The National HRH Strategic Plan 2027–2031 will therefore be developed as a country-led, evidence-informed, participatory, prioritized, costed and implementation-oriented strategy. It will translate evidence on the health labour market and workforce projections into strategic priorities, interventions, investment requirements, implementation arrangements and monitoring and accountability mechanisms. The Ministry of Health will retain overall leadership and ownership of the Strategic Plan and the strategic planning process. Seed Global Health is supporting the Ministry in strengthening health workforce planning and will facilitate the engagement of technical expertise for this assignment. -

Objective

The purpose of the consultancy is to provide technical leadership and hands-on support to the Ministry of Health in the development of a comprehensive, evidence-informed, costed and implementation-oriented National Human Resources for Health Strategic Plan (2027–2031) - Specific Objectives - Conduct a comprehensive HRH situation analysis and strategic assessment in consultation with the National HRH Technical Working Group. - Support evidence-informed HRH priority setting and strategic framework development. - Develop the National HRH Strategic Plan (2027–2031), including operational planning, monitoring and evaluation framework, and implementation plan. - Develop the costed implementation and workforce investment framework. - Support validation and finalization of the HRH Strategic Plan through the Ministry of Health -

Scope of Work: Consultant Roles and Responsibilities

The consultant will provide technical leadership and hands-on support to the Ministry of Health throughout the strategic planning process. The assignment will be implemented as a Ministry-led and nationally owned process under the overall leadership of the Department responsible for Human Resources and Administration and the technical guidance and oversight of the National HRH Technical Working Group.The process will comprise four phases: (1) Situation Analysis and Strategic Assessment; (2) Priority Setting and Strategy Development; (3) Operational Planning, Costing and Budget Alignment; and (4) Validation and Finalization. Phase 1: Situation Analysis and Strategic Assessment The consultant will consolidate available evidence to define Zambia’s health workforce context, priority needs, and strategic challenges. Key responsibilities - Conduct a desk review and synthesis of the HRH Strategic Plan (2018–2024), Health Labour Market Analysis, national policy documents, sector plans, and relevant regional and global HRH frameworks. - Analyse population health needs, service delivery priorities, stakeholder expectations, and health labour market dynamics including workforce supply, demand, educ