Assistant Public Health Officer (Insurance) – NOA – BEY133 – UNOPS Contract - Beirut, Lebanon

General Background

Eight years into the Syria crisis, Lebanon remains the country hosting the largest number of refugees per capita, with nearly 950,000  Syrian refugees registered with UNHCR, about 20,000 refugees of other origins - mostly Iraqi - and Palestine refugees under UNRWA’s mandate.  There are no formal camps for Syrian refugees in Lebanon, and refugees are living in hundreds of communities and locations across the country. 

The refugee response is led by the Government and UNHCR and UNDP, supported by the international community. As the designated lead agency in the refugee response, UNHCR has established a sector-based structure in Beirut and in the field. The structure brings together over 150 UN agencies, national and international NGO partners [over 150 actors, including UN agencies, national and international NGOs and Ministries] in identifying and agreeing on the strategic priorities to address the needs of Syrian refugees and vulnerable Lebanese communities. The Lebanon Chapter of the Response Plan falls under the Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan (3RP), whereby UNHCR guides the refugee response and UNDP facilitates the resilience and stabilization component.

The UNHCR operational response in Lebanon is one of the largest for the organization. Media attention and the frequency of influential high-profile visitors is high. The Office has grown substantially in the past years and is currently operating with around 650 staff. Aside from the country office in the capital city of Beirut, UNHCR has field offices in Mount Lebanon, Qobayat, Tripoli, Tyre and Zahle.

UNHCR subsidizes referral care for Syrian refugees in existing secondary and tertiary health facilitates in Lebanon. Due to a shortage of funds it has been forced to do so using a restrictive set of eligibility criteria according to which, coverage is limited to life saving and obstetric care. In general, refugees cover 25% of the cost of care.  In November 2013, UNHCR contracted a Third Party Administrator (TPA) to manage the provision of health care in Mount Lebanon/Beirut which expanded to the entire country in January 2014. The TPA’s specific role is to manage Syrian refugees’ access to hospital care in line with the referral care guidelines or Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).

The Assistant Public Health Officer incumbent reports to the Head of Sub-Office in Tripoli. However the incumbent works under the technical supervision of the Senior Public Health Officer based in Beirut. S/he supports the Public Health Unit (PHU) with the implementation and monitoring of the public health programme, especially the referral health care system. The incumbent works closely with the other UNHCR colleagues from protection, programme and resettlement to support identification and solutions for cases facing problems accessing or being discharged from hospital.

Purpose and Scope of Assignment

• Maintain regular contact with TPA senior management as well as relevant departments such as client and customer desks, data analysis, admissions or claims department.
• Attend TPA medical review panels.
• Work closely with TPA’s medical team (doctors and delegates).
• Review and rationalize hospital network together with TPA.
• Monitor achievements of TPA against set Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
• Provide accurate data and analysis on secondary and tertiary health care including detailed analysis of maternal and neonatal mortality.
• Highlight breaches of quality of care.
• Update contract or addendum if necessary.
• Conduct frequent M&E visits to TPA service desks and hospitals.
• Ensure UNHCR referral care SOPs are up to date and modified when needed, dissemination and training to various partners.
• Improve the referral pathway between primary and secondary health care level.
• Contribute to capacity building of the humanitarian partner, PHC network and hospitals. 
• Conduct focus group discussions with refugees to understand obstacles to care.
• Organize workshop on key issues such as neonatology, orthopaedic surgery, cardiology or maternity.
• Update PHU and programme unit regularly on spending.
• Review monthly 1% of received medical claims per region based on set criteria prior to processing for payment and sending documents for archiving.
• Attend coordination meetings if referral care is on the agenda/ attendance is requested.
• Ensure refugees are well aware of referral system by mass information.
• Monitor access to SHC by refugees.
• Provide qualitative and quantitative inputs on referral care to any UNHCR documents.
• Organize and attend the Exceptional Care Committee (ECC) on the medical referrals including follow up of contracts of ECC consultants including preparation of meeting, presentation of cases, minutes and follow up.
• Monitor backlog of Referral Care Associate.
• Review cases if needed including timely response, ECC referral, follow up, filing and data entry.
• Ensure coordination between the IPs and the ECC members for submission of cases and provision of feedback

Monitoring and Progress Controls

• Liaise closely with TPA in Beirut and in the field locations.
• Undertake frequent monitoring visits to TPA offices, field desks and hospitals.
• Liaise with UN, humanitarian partners both implementing and operational and GoL (MOPH) on referral care.
• Organise training/workshops as needed to increase knowledge on and compliance with UNHCR’s referral SOP