Consultancy: Production of a handbook for parliamentarians on universal health coverage

Background

Health is a precondition for and an outcome of sustainable development, but the right to health is still not enjoyed by everyone. At least half of the world’s population still do not have full coverage of essential health services. About 100 million people are still being pushed into “extreme poverty” (living on 1.90 US dollars or less a day) because they have to pay for health care, and over 930 million people (around 12 per cent of the world’s population) spend at least 10 per cent of their household budgets on health care.

The international community has committed to achieving universal health coverage (UHC) by 2030 as part of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). A political declaration on UHC was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in September 2019, with UN Member States pledging to take action to implement the declaration to accelerate global efforts to reach UHC.

In October 2019, to underline the parliamentary commitment to support work towards UHC, the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) adopted a resolution entitled Achieving universal health coverage by 2030: The role of parliaments in ensuring the right to health at the 141st IPU Assembly. The IPU resolution identifies key parliamentary actions required to accelerate progress towards UHC in terms of legislation, oversight, advocacy and budget allocation.

Now, in partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO), the IPU is working with its Member Parliaments to help build capacity to implement the IPU resolution. A key product which has been identified to help build parliamentary capacity is a handbook for parliamentarians on UHC, which would outline the practical steps parliamentarians can take to help support the UHC efforts of their respective countries.

Scope and content

The handbook is envisaged as a practical tool to enhance parliamentarians’ understanding of the complex issues related to health coverage and to support the development of the requisite capacities in parliaments to take concrete action to deliver on health and well-being for their citizens. Following the adoption of the IPU resolution on UHC, the purpose of the proposed handbook is therefore to explain the concept of UHC and its importance for national development, highlight the significance of parliamentary action on UHC, discuss how parliaments and parliamentarians can address key UHC challenges, and provide input for concrete action and initiatives to promote UHC at the national level.

Building on existing resources, this handbook will address some of the key issues, such as:

1. What is UHC – the key ideas and concept associated with UHC – why UHC is important, what results can be achieved, as well as the key actions that need to be implemented to support efforts towards UHC as they pertain to parliaments and parliamentarians.
2. Develop specific guidance and provide practical country examples and best practices to inform the decisions and actions of parliamentarians in the following areas:
   1. The legislative agenda for UHC, UHC law and the key components of legal and policy frameworks required to support work towards UHC
   2. Health financing for UHC – explaining the key concepts of health financing, the role of parliamentarians and parliaments for health financing efforts, including work on health budgets, taxes (general taxes and specific health taxes) and work to support the establishment of pro-UHC social health insurance schemes
   3. Accountability frameworks for UHC at the national and global levels, and how the oversight role of parliaments contributes to implementing accountability measures and monitoring for UHC
   4. UHC advocacy and the role of parliamentarians in advocating for UHC.

Consultant’s deliverables and timeline

ACTIVITY	DEADLINE
1. Signing of contract	Early May
2. Review of existing resources and consultation with the IPU, WHO and other relevant actors	End of May
3. Proposal for the outline	Mid-June
4. First draft finalized and submitted to the IPU and WHO	End of July
5. Feedback incorporated and second draft submitted to the IPU and WHO	Mid-September
6. Final adjustments and final draft of the handbook submitted to the IPU and WHO	Mid-October

Requirements

Candidates for the consultancy position need to be able to demonstrate:

• Knowledge of the functioning of national parliaments
• Knowledge of the SDGs and international frameworks and processes related to health
• Understanding of the health sector at the national level and knowledge of key issues related to UHC
• Proven track record of producing written policy and/or guidance documents
• Excellent writing skills in English
• Excellent time management and attention to detail

Location

The consultant will work based from home, maintaining regular communication by phone or Skype and email.

Workload

The total amount of work on the project is estimated at 25 to 30 days.