International Consultant in Peri- and Neonatal Care – Midwife, Sukhumi, Georgia Individual Consultant International Position Short term contract

International Consultant in Peri- and Neonatal Care – Midwife, Sukhumi, Georgia

Job no: 591667

Contract type: Consultant

Duty Station: Tbilisi

Level: Consultancy

Location: Georgia

Categories: Health

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Background / Purpose of the Assignment

The hostilities of 1992–1993, along with the subsequent prolonged isolation, have had enduring negative impacts on the economic and social well-being of people living in Abkhazia, Georgia. Over the past three decades, the protracted nature of the conflict has hindered development and continues to affect human rights and the living conditions of conflict-affected communities, including their access to essential social services, human security, and opportunities for sustainable peace.

The healthcare system in Abkhazia remains rooted in an outdated, inpatient-oriented model. Services are delivered across central, district/urban, and rural levels; however, primary healthcare (PHC) facilities, including antenatal care clinics, are often under-equipped and face shortages of qualified personnel. These gaps lead to frequent referrals to higher levels of care. Significant disparities in the distribution of healthcare workers further constrain service availability, with urban areas comparatively better staffed than rural and remote regions.

Only around 19 percent of doctors work in PHC, and opportunities for continuing professional development are extremely limited. Many health workers were trained outside Abkhazia region and lack access to ongoing medical education. At the same time, nurses’ skills remain underutilized, contributing to low public confidence in nursing services.

Additional systemic challenges, including limited supplies of essential medicines, outdated medical equipment, deteriorated WASH infrastructure, and high out-of-pocket costs, further undermine the quality and accessibility of healthcare and discourage timely care-seeking.

Despite the sustained efforts of UNICEF and other international development partners, notable gaps persist across the health sector. Limited availability of essential medicines, shortages of trained personnel, inadequate health data, and constrained capacities for planning and managing health interventions continue to affect access to essential services.

These challenges are especially evident in maternal and child health, an essential pillar of public health. In Abkhazia region perinatal services are delivered through one republican maternity hospital in Sukhumi and maternity wards within seven district hospitals (Gagra, Gudauta, Gulrypshi, Gali, Tkuarcheli, and Ochamchyre). However, several facilities operate at reduced capacity due to low delivery numbers and resource constraints.

Seven women’s consultation (antenatal) clinics operate in the same locations, but coordination between primary and secondary levels of care (antenatal clinic – maternity – PHC) remains limited, with many services following vertical structures and not sufficiently integrated.

UNICEF, as a leading advocate for children’s rights under the Convention on the Rights of the Child and guided by the Core Commitments for Children in Humanitarian Action, implements strategic interventions across health, education, and child protection in Abkhazia, Georgia. UNICEF Georgia has maintained a Field Office in Abkhazia since October 2005.

Since 2011, UNICEF has supported the Extended Programme on Immunization (EPI) and has worked with health workers to adopt internationally recognized maternal and child health (MCH) and Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) standards.

UNICEF has further contributed to the development of clinical guidelines and the provision of specialized equipment for safe neonatal transport across the administrative boundary line (ABL). A network of health professionals has also been established to support guideline development, trainings, and supportive supervision, particularly within PHC and MCH services.

Addressing maternal and child health challenges in low-resource settings requires a comprehensive, lifecycle-based approach. In Abkhazia region, the shortage of trained personnel, limited use or absence of evidence-based clinical standards, and lack of targeted public health interventions pose significant risks to maternal, newborn, and child health.

Health workers require strengthened knowledge and skills, supportive supervision — which to date has been implemented only on a pilot basis — and availability of reliable health data.

To address these challenges, and within the EU-funded UNICEF/WHO joint initiative “Support provision of basic health services for conflict-affected people living in Abkhazia, Georgia,” UNICEF will support the strengthening of risk-appropriate maternal and neonatal care in the region.

The planned interventions will be informed by a comprehensive assessment of the quality of neonatal and obstetric care in Abkhazia, using a methodology that includes analysis of medical documentation, facility inspections, and interviews with medical staff.

The assessment will be conducted with the Integrated quality of hospital care assessment and improvement tool for maternal and neonatal health (WHO, 2024).

The assessment will place particular emphasis on:

organization of care for sick newborns

availability of effective referral and transport pathways

functionality of intensive care units

structured handover and continuity of care with PHC upon neonatal discharge

It will also focus on the development and integration of priority clinical care protocols and the continued analysis of quality of care to inform a plan of action at both maternity/local and regional levels.

Scope of Work

To address the critical needs in peri- and neonatal care in Abkhazia region, UNICEF is recruiting international consultants:

Obstetrician/Gynaecologist (Team Leader)

Neonatologist

Midwife

The consultants will work as a team to conduct an Assessment of the quality of neonatal and obstetric care in Abkhazia using the WHO integrated quality assessment tool.

Guided by the team leader, consultants will complete all modules of the tool on-site at:

Republican Maternity Hospital in Sukhumi

Seven district hospitals

Seven women’s consultation clinics

The completion of modules will be allocated among team members according to professional expertise.

Assessment Dimensions

1. Hospital Resources

Physical infrastructure and amenities

Health management information systems

Human resources for health

Availability and management of medicines, equipment and supplies

Laboratory services

2. Hospital-Level Policies and Organization of Services

Hospital policies and implementation

Infection prevention and control

Continuous quality improvement

Organization of maternal and newborn care

Access and continuity of care

Protection of mother and newborn rights

3. Provision of Health Care

Maternal health:

pregnancy

intrapartum care

postpartum care

Newborn health:

readiness to manage newborns at birth

care for healthy and sick newborns

facility preparedness for advanced newborn care

Additional areas:

monitoring of obstetric complications

monitoring of sick newborns

4. Experience of Care

Interviews with mothers and caretakers focusing on:

experience of care

perceptions of quality and respectfulness

5. Motivation and Perspectives of Human Resources

Assessment through staff interviews including:

availability of physical resources

hospital policies on professional development

organization of services

6. Feedback and Action Planning

Supporting a standards-based audit process to:

analyse quality of care at facility level

develop action plans for improvement

Including:

a) Referral and transport pathways
b) Maternal-neonatal intensive care units (ICU) requirements
c) Discharge handover and neonatal follow-up
d) Development of five prioritized clinical care protocols

Interested experts should apply for the Midwife role indicating the lump sum fee in the cover letter.

Duration

Start: 1 June 2026
End: 30 November 2026
Working days: 43

Work modality

Hybrid  with international trips to the duty station anticipated.

Work Assignment Overview

The consultation will include both online and hybrid modalities .

Tasks / Milestones for Midwife

1. Assessment Preparation

Provide technical expertise on maternity and immediate newborn care, focusing on:

patient rights

human resource motivation

tool adaptation

facility assessments

report preparation

protocol development

workshops

Timeline: June 2026
14 in-country working days (Tbilisi)

2. Facility Assessments

Lead maternity and immediate newborn care assessments across all sites.

Outputs:

Completed facility assessment tools

Facility gap summaries

Timeline: June 2026
7 in-country days (Sukhumi)

3. Assessment Report

Draft maternity and newborn sections of the report and recommendations.

Timeline: July 2026
7 online days

4. Clinical Protocol Development

Draft maternity-related elements of five clinical protocols.

Timeline: July 2026
3 online days

5. Protocol Workshops

Co-facilitate workshops and update protocols.

Timeline: October 2026
7 in-country days

6. Final Technical Inputs

Provide final technical inputs and presentation slides.

Timeline: October 2026
5 online days

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…  

Minimum requirements:

Knowledge / Expertise / Skills

Professional degree, Bachelor’s Degree in Midwifery

Minimum 10 years clinical experience

Experience with WHO quality assessment tool

Experience in developing clinical protocols

Training experience

Experience with UNICEF and WHO

Experience in fragile contexts (advantage)

Fluency in English and Russian

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships

(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness

(3) Drive to achieve results for impact

(4) Innovates and embraces change

(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity

(6) Thinks and acts strategically

(7) Works collaboratively with others 

[ add the 8 th competency (Nurtures, leads and manages people) for a supervisory role ]. 

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

UNICEF promotes and advocates for the protection of the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything it does and is mandated to support the realization of the rights of every child, including those most disadvantaged, and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children.  The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone , irrespective of their race/ethnicity, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, minority, or any other status.

UNICEF encourages applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic backgrounds, and from people with disabilities, including neurodivergence. We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF provides reasonable accommodation throughout the recruitment process. If you require any accommodation, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the results

Work Mode: Hybrid

Advertised: 13 Mar 2026 Georgian Standard Time
Deadline: 10 Apr 2026 Georgian Standard Time

Tagged as: Consultant

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