National Consultant - Severe Acute Respiratory Infections (SARIs) assessment, WHO Country Office, Viet Nam

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Purpose of consultancy The purpose of this consultancy is to conduct an assessment on results of implementation of the model on early and intensified diagnosis of Severe Acute Respiratory Infections (SARIs) in Quang Ninh.

Background

Viet Nam is a hotspot for emerging infectious diseases, including those causing severe acute respiratory infections (SARIs). Many outbreaks of emerging infectious respiratory diseases such as SARS-CoV, avian influenzae A (H5N1) and SARS-CoV-2 pandemic occurred during the last 30 years in Viet Nam. Even the capacity on SARI case management for hospitals and healthcare system has been significantly improved, SARI remains a burden on the Vietnam healthcare system. In 2018-2019, with the support from WHO, Hanoi Medical University conducted an observational study1 at critical care units (CCUs) in over 40 public hospitals in 5 provinces in Viet Nam. This study indicated that SARI cases accounted for around 25% of patients admitted to CCUs and 7-day mortality rate of SARI was high (6.6%). In addition, the diagnostic testing system and treatment capacity was insufficient in district levels but underused in the provincial ones. This required a standardized model for early diagnosis and effective management of SARI, which is suitable for the resource-constrained settings in Viet Nam.

Between 2018 and 2019, with support from the World Health Organization (WHO), a national survey was carried out a across critical care units in more than 40 public hospitals across five provinces. The findings revealed that SARI cases made up about 25% of critical care unit admissions, with a high 7-day mortality rate of 6.6%. The study also highlighted disparities in healthcare capacity: while district-level facilities lacked adequate diagnostic and treatment resources, provincial-level facilities had standardized capabilities. These findings underscore the need for a standardized model for early diagnosis and effective management of SARI, tailored to Viet Nam’s resource-limited settings.

To address these gaps, WHO supported public hospitals to pilot a model of early intensified diagnosis and clinical management of SARI in two phases. In 2024, the model was piloted in four district hospitals in Hanoi, where WHO provided respiratory rapid antigen tests and supported a training course using the WHO Clinical Care Severe Acute Respiratory Infection Training toolkit. Building on this experience, the model was expanded in 2025 to Quang Ninh province, covering one provincial hospital and 13 district hospitals. WHO again provided respiratory rapid antigen tests to all 14 participating hospitals and supported a two-day training workshop using the WHO SARI training toolkit, alongside the development of three Standard Operating Procedures for SARI diagnosis and triage, clinical management, and safe patient transfer.

WHO is recruiting a national consultant to evaluate the early detection model of SARIs piloted in Quang Ninh to determine the effectiveness of the model, identify remaining gaps, and provide evidence to document lessons learnt to support national Scale-Up of the model to other provinces in Viet Nam.

Deliverables

Under the overall supervision of the WHO Country Office in Viet Nam (WCO) and in close collaboration with the Infectious Diseases Department of Hanoi Medical University (HMU), the consultant will support the evaluation and Scale-Up of the pilot model for early intensified diagnosis and clinical management of Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI) implemented in Quang Ninh Province.

The consultancy will be conducted through the following activities:
Review of Existing Evidence and Development of Evaluation Tools
• Review of the 2025 implementation report and related project documents of the SARI pilot model in Quang Ninh Province.
• Develop an evaluation framework and methodology to assess the effectiveness, impact, and sustainability of the pilot model.
• Design data collection tools, including questionnaires, interview guides, and data abstraction forms for healthcare workers and health facilities.

Assessment of the Pilot Model in Quang Ninh Province
The consultant will conduct a field assessment covering:
• One provincial hospital; and
• Selected sub-regional hospitals (formerly district hospitals) within the provincial referral network.

The assessment will examine the implementation and performance of the pilot model across the referral pathway. Attention will be given to the role of sub-regional hospitals in the early detection, clinical management, stabilization, and referral of SARI patients.
As patients are referred from sub-regional hospitals to the provincial hospital, information collected at the provincial level will be used to assess:
• Referral practices and timeliness;
• Clinical status of patients at the time of referral;
• Quality of referral documentation;
• Patient management and outcomes following referral; and
• The overall impact of the 2025 interventions on case management across the provincial healthcare network.

Evaluation of Impact and Sustainability
Based on the findings from document review, facility assessments, and stakeholder consultations, the consultant will:
• Evaluate the effectiveness of the pilot model in improving early diagnosis and clinical management of SARI.
• Assess the model's sustainability, including integration into routine clinical practice and local capacity for continued implementation.
• Identify remaining gaps and challenges in SARI diagnosis, referral, and clinical management.
• Provide recommendations for strengthening implementation and improving patient outcomes.

Expected Outcomes
The consultancy will generate evidence on the effectiveness and sustainability of the pilot model and support the development of a scalable approach for improving SARI diagnosis and management within provincial health systems. Expected outcomes include:
• Evidence on the impact of the pilot model and associated training interventions on healthcare worker practices and patient outcomes in Quang Ninh Province.
• Identification of remaining gaps in SARI detection, referral, and clinical management to inform future improvement activities.
• Improved and sustainable clinical capacity at provincial and sub-regional hospitals through a training approach that can be maintained without continued external facilitation.
• Strengthened coordination between provincial and sub-regional hospitals for patient referral, consultation, and technical support.

Key Indicators
The evaluation will include, but not be limited to, the following indicators:
• Proportion of SARI patients admitted to the provincial hospital who received respiratory rapid antigen testing.
• Detection rate of SARI cases by pathogen (influenza A/B, SARS-CoV-2, avian influenza, RSV, and other priority respiratory pathogens).
• Number and proportion of patients referred from sub-regional hospitals to the provincial hospital.
• Quality and completeness of referral documentation.
• Clinical condition of patients at the time of transfer.
• Clinical outcomes of SARI patients at the provincial hospital, including length of hospital stay and in-hospital mortality.
• Number of healthcare workers trained through the updated SARI training programme.
• Availability and use of standardized SARI management and referral protocols.

Output/s

Output 1: Evaluation of the 2025 SARI Pilot Model

Deliverable 1.1: A comprehensive evaluation report on the impact of the 2025 SARI pilot model, including the introduction of respiratory rapid antigen testing and associated training interventions, on clinical practice, patient management, referral processes, and patient outcomes in Quang Ninh Province.

Qualifications, experience, skills and languages

Education
Essential: Advanced university degree in medicine, public health infectious diseases, or another relevant field.

Desirable: Postgraduate training or specialization in infectious diseases.

Work Experience
Essential: Minimum 5 years of experience in infectious diseases or emergency medicine, in SARI case management. Demonstrated experience in surveillance or study design, implementation, and evaluation for communicable diseases.

Desirable: Previous work experience with WHO, Ministry of Health and public hospitals in Viet Nam is an advantage.

Skills/Knowledge:

Advanced knowledge in emerging infectious disease, SARI and emergency medicine.

Languages and level required (Basic/Intermediate/Expert):

Essential:

Vietnamese native speaker
Fluency in English speaking and writing

Location

Offsite - The consultant is expected to work on their own base in Viet Nam/ Hanoi

Travel

The consultant is expected to travel to Quang Ninh Province.

Remuneration and budget (travel costs are excluded):

• Remuneration: USD 170 per day (VNM3 level)
• Expected duration of contract: 2 months part-time (20 working days total)

Additional Information:

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