National consultant – Development of antimicrobial consumption (AMC)/antimicrobial use (AMU) surveillance guidelines in health care facilities, WHO Country Office, Viet Nam

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Purpose of consultancy
The purpose of this short-term consultancy (STC) is to provide technical support to the development of guidelines for implementing antimicrobial consumption (AMC) and/or antimicrobial use (AMU) surveillance in health care facilities in Viet Nam.

Background

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major threat to global health and security. AMR is driven by many complex factors, but overuse and misuse of antibiotics are among the leading causes.

In September 2023, the Prime Minister signed Decision No. 1121/QD-TTg approving the National Strategy on Antimicrobial Resistance in Vietnam for the period 2023-2030, with a vision to 2045. This strategy emphasizes the importance of rational and responsible antimicrobial use in the health, agriculture, and environmental sectors, and demonstrates Vietnam's commitment to the fight against AMR. The Ministry of Health has also issued important decisions to strengthen the system for preventing and combating AMR and for appropriate use of antimicrobials, such as Decision No. 5631/QD-BYT (2020) and recently Decision No. 3465/QD-BYT dated November 15, 2024 approving the plan for preventing and combating AMR for the period 2024-2025 focusing on measures to raise awareness among authorities, officials and people; establishing and strengthening national surveillance systems on AMR, AMC and antimicrobial use (AMU).

Deliverables

The consultant will work under the WHO Country Office in Viet Nam. The duties of the short-term consultant will include the following tasks:

• Conduct site visits and carry out a situational analysis for AMC/U surveillance at hospitals that have initiated AMC/U surveillance within their facility.
• Conduct a desk review of existing national and institutional frameworks, tools, and guidance on AMC/U surveillance in health care facilities.
• Develop standardized health care facilities AMC/U surveillance guidelines adapted to the country context, aligned with WHO methodologies.
• Support at least one stakeholder consultation and validation process of the draft guidelines.
• Explore and suggest feasible IT solutions for AMC/U data analysis and provide necessary inputs to the development of a web portal for AMC/U by collaborating with an IT vendor at the Medical Services Administration in Viet Nam (MSA).
• Develop practical recommendations to facilitate implementation of the guidelines in healthcare facilities specifically in hospitals, including reporting pathway(s) and capacity building.

Output 1: Draft guidelines package on AMC/AMU surveillance in health care facilities completed by 6 September 2026.

Deliverable 1.1: A mapping and situational analysis report of existing AMC/U hospital surveillance, national, regional, and international guidelines, standard operating procedures, and tools related to AMC/AMU surveillance, submitted by 31 July 2026.

Deliverable 1.2: A detailed outline of the health care facilities AMC/AMU surveillance guideline, including proposed sections and methodology, submitted by 6 August 2026.

Deliverable 1.3: First full draft of the health care facilities AMC/AMU surveillance guidelines, including governance structure, surveillance methodology, data collection tools, reporting requirements and frequency, and use of AMC/AMU data in line with WHO and international methodologies and aligned with the web portal in development, submitted by 6 September 2026.

Output 2: Validated final guidelines and implementation package completed by 30 November 2026.

Deliverable 2.1: Facilitation of at least one stakeholder consultation workshop and validation meeting, with summary notes and consolidated comments submitted by 30 September 2026.

Deliverable 2.2: Revised final draft guideline incorporating stakeholder feedback, submitted in English and Vietnamese by 30 October 2026.

Deliverable 2.3: Implementation package, including training materials and practical guidance for roll-out of the guidelines in health care facilities, submitted in English and Vietnamese by 30 November 2026.

Output 3: Progress and final consultancy reporting completed by 16 December 2026

Deliverable 3.1: Monthly progress reports submitted at the end of each month, summarizing activities completed, progress against deliverables, issues encountered, and planned next steps (31 July, 31 August, 30 September, 31 October, and 30 November 2026).

Deliverable 3.2: Final technical report submitted, summarizing key activities, results achieved, lessons learned, and annexing all final deliverables produced under the consultancy by 16 December 2026.

Qualifications, experience, skills and languages

Education:

Essential:

A university degree in pharmacy, medicine, microbiology and/or relevant public health and clinical fields as an individual consultant.

Desirable:

Advanced university degree in clinical pharmacy, medicine, clinical pharmacology, and public health with training in AMR/AMS/AMC/U and/or relevant fields.

Experience:

Essential: At least 4 years of relevant experience working in antimicrobial stewardship, antimicrobial consumption monitoring, clinical pharmacology, clinical pharmacy, clinical practice and/or other fields at the national and international level.

Desirable: Knowledge of AMC Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical/Defined Daily Dose (ATC/DDD) methodology and point prevalence survey (PPS) for antibiotic use.

Technical Skills and Knowledge

• Understanding of health systems and service delivery in Viet Nam.
• Specialized in Antibiotic Stewardship, Surveillance of Antibiotic Use/AMC, PPS.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and presentation skills.

Languages

Essential: Fluent in Vietnamese and English.

Location

Offsite

Travel

The consultant is not expected to travel.

Remuneration and budget:

USD 115 per day for total of 50 working days part-time contract.

Additional Information:

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