Establishment and Operationalization consultant

Croissant Rouge Saharaoui

Scope of work and main tasks

• The selected consultant or firm will:
• EWARS framework
• Review current practices for outbreak detection and response in the Saharawi camps (formal and informal).
• Review the design of the epidemiological surveillance subsystem and the list of priority conditions.
• Facilitate technical sessions with MoH, MLRS and WHO to:
• Define what constitutes a signal, alert and event in the local context;
• Agree on which indicators, trends, or event reports should generate alerts;
• Clarify roles and responsibilities at facility, camp and central levels.
• Prepare an EWARS framework document describing:
• Objectives, scope and guiding principles;
• List of events and criteria for alerts;
• Institutional structure and communication lines
• Protocols, procedures and tools
• Draft standard operating procedures (SOPs) and flowcharts covering the key phases:
• Detection and notification (from data and from field observations/rumours),
• Triage and validation of alerts at central and/or intermediate level,
• Investigation (including field visits, sampling, line listing),
• Response (control measures, communication with population and stakeholders),
• Follow-up, recovery and return to routine.
• Ensure SOPs are pragmatic, with clear, short steps adapted to staffing levels, transport and laboratory capacity.
• Develop or adapt simple tools, such as:
• Signal/alert notification forms;
• Investigation and line-list templates;
• Brief summary templates for response and lessons learned.

Integration with the surveillance subsystem

• Work with the surveillance subsystem developer and MoH/MLRS to translate EWARS rules into practical features (flags, alert lists, simple dashboards).
• Define how both indicator-based alerts (thresholds, trends) and event-based alerts (rumors, unusual events) are recorded and followed up in the system.
• est integrated workflows using simulated scenarios (e.g. suspected measles cluster, diarrheal outbreak in one camp).

Initial implementation support

• Contribute to the preparation of training content for staff who will use EWARS (linked to the separate training ToR).
• Provide technical support during an initial period (e.g. 46 weeks) for:
• reviewing actual alerts produced by the system;
• deciding which require field, laboratory, or coordination action;
• documenting at least a few complete cases from detection to closure.
• Provide recommendations on how to strengthen and institutionalize EWARS beyond the project.

Expected deliverables

• EWARS framework document.
• SOPs and flowcharts for detection, validation, investigation, response and follow-up.
• Set of simple EWARS tools (forms, checklists, templates).
• Short note on integration of EWARS with the surveillance subsystem.
• Brief implementation and lessons-learned report.