Development of Rwanda Public Health Law
Vacancy Announcement - Consultant
WHO Rwanda in Collaboration with Ministry of Health (MOH) is inviting applicants from suitable qualified Rwandan Nationals to fill the following Consultancy:
Title: Development Of Rwanda Public Health Law
Grade: NOC
Duty Station: Kigali
Date issue: 28/09/2022
Deadline: 05/10/2022
Introduction:
Since the beginning of the 21st century, the Rwanda Ministry of Health and its affiliated agencies and institutions that are protective and promotive to health systems have been facing challenges such as communicable and Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD), toxic surroundings, increasing populations which lead to emerging infectious diseases. The global and cultural circumstances of the country health systems are also undergoing fast and intense changes. At the same time, people, products and nation’s demographics are shifting in ways that challenge public and private resources.
Internationally, health is also a fundamental human right recognized in the Constitution of the World Health Organization (WHO). Health law envisioned to provide an enabling environment in which the promotion of health goes hand in hand with the general principles of equality, justice and the protection of individual rights. Over the years, the status of the healthiness law has grown, both at national and international levels.

What is a public health Law?
Lawrence O. Gostin, defines public health law as the power and duty of the state to assure the conditions for people to be healthy and the limitations on the state's power to constrain autonomy, privacy, liberty, and proprietary interests of individuals and businesses. It is also a statute, ordinance or code that prescribes sanitary standards and regulations for the purpose of preserving and promoting community's health.
It suggests five essential characteristics of public health law:
1. Government's responsibility to defend against health risks and promote the public's health.
2. The population-based perspective of public health, emphasizing prevention.
3. Public health contemplates the relationship between the state and the population (or between the state and individuals who place themselves or the community at risk).
4. The mission, core functions, and services of the public health system is to deal with the provision of population-based services grounded on the scientific methodologies of public health (e.g., biostatistics and epidemiology)
5. Public Health Law possesses the rule to compel people for the protection of the community as appropriate and within the framework of the international legal standards for protection of human rights

Similar Jobs in Rwanda
Learn more about WHO Country Office for Rwanda
WHO Country Office for Rwanda jobs in Rwanda

Rationale.
Public health law provides Government officials and other stakeholders with a legal mandate and protocol to detect and respond to public health threats. Therefore, responding to pandemics without any system of rules or legal frameworks, results into:
1. An ineffective public health response
2. Loss of public trust
3. Damage to individual rights and freedoms
The recognition of the protection and preservation of the public health from long ago has been one of the necessary duties and the primary functions of the Government. Stewardship in health systems in Rwanda is the responsibilities of the Ministry of Health and its affiliated agencies, whose principal obligation is to promote and protect the health of the population.
There remain substantial challenges relating to care for an ageing population and early disease. Moreover, while cardiovascular disease, cancer and injuries are not yet controlled significantly, new lifestyle diseases such as obesity and HIV/AIDS are also a threat. In response to these challenges, there need to be improvements in health systems with precise emphasis on effectiveness, efficiency and equitable interventions on prevention, treatment and care of common ailments.
Therefore, Ministry of health intends to establish public health law which is an essential tool that will assist the Government of Rwanda in protecting its populations from health emergencies and other public health threats. This law intends to equip public health officers (healthcare providers) at different levels with the necessary powers to control diseases based on current disease classification schemes that address contemporary health problems.

Expected benefits.
Increased effectiveness and efficiency in implementation of health interventions
Statutes, regulations, and litigation are pivotal tools for creating the conditions for people to lead healthier and safer lives. Law can educate, create incentives, or deter; mandate safer product design and use of property; and alter the informational, physical, or economic environment.
Public health law envisages the duties of individual, people and organizations. Moreover, the responsibilities of the governments to provide healthy society, regulations specify the manner in which public health officials exercise their authorities and define the jurisdiction of the officers. It also creates the social conditions in which people can be healthy and establishes the norms for healthy behavior. The legislature, administrative agencies and courts serve as channels for social debates on public health issues that are important within the legal language of rights, duties and justice.

Improved health outcomes:
Public health Law is a significant tool for improving the health of populations, through legislative and administrative actions taken at the national, sub-national and international levels.

Scope of work:
In the framework of improving public health of Rwandan population through proper management of public health emergencies and other public health threats, The Ministry of Health in partnership with the WHO is seeking to hire a local Rwandan consultant who will support the Ministry of Health to develop public health law and all its Ministerial orders that will identified by the law.
The consultant is expected to support the whole process by participating in all meetings and workshops to gather ideas until all documents are ready to be submitted to cabinet for approval

Expected Deliverables.
Therefore, key deliverables must include conduct legal mapping and assessment on the existing legal instruments
1. Draft public health law
2. Draft all ministerial orders/instructions that will be identified by the law
3. Conduct legal consultations
4. Translate all documents in three languages (English, French and Kinyarwanda)
5. Formatting all documents
6. Participate in all workshops and consultative meetings with various stakeholders that will be organized purposely to gather contents and incorporate all input provided
7. Produce drafts ready to be submitted to Cabinet for approval

Qualifications and experience
1. Medical or nursing background with academic qualification at master’s degree level in relevant field of Public Health or Infectious diseases or Epidemiology or Medicine and other relevant discipline
2. First degree in law with master’s degree in public health or epidemiology
3. Familiar with public health emergency response and/or other public health threats
4. Hands-on experience in drafting laws or policies
5. Good record/terms with local stakeholders (MOH, other Government institutions,
6. Partners, hospital directors, medical professional societies/ councils, insurance providers, civil society organization, religious leaders).
7. Good working knowledge of English, French and Kinyarwanda.
8. Previous experience in conducting similar assignments in Rwanda
Duration of the exercise:
60 working days

Submission Procedure
Interested candidates shall submit their CVs in one PDF file by email to afwcorw@who.int.
No physical documents will be accepted.
Selection and contract signing
After analysis of CVs, WHO Rwanda will notify the selected candidate in writing and call for discussion followed by contract signing if fully agree. The work is expected to start immediately after contract signing.
Done at Kigali, 28th Sept 2022
Signed By:
Dr Brian CHIROMBO
WHO Representative