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Medical Officer
Source: Merlin - UK
Jackelyne Weeks
| Deadline: | 31 Jan 2008 |
| Organisation: | Merlin - UK |
| Location: | Congo (DR) |
| Type: | temporary |
| Salary: | 20-30 (000's USD) |
| Description: | Responsible To: Senior Project Medical Coordinator
Working With: Field medical and non medical team members Location: Birambizo health zone, Rutshuru territory, North Kivu Province, DRC Start Date: ASAP Duration: 6 months Salary and Benefits: £12,113 - £16,562 annual dependent on relevant experience, plus an annual cost of living allowance of £5,111, insurance cover, accommodation and flights Please note this position is currently subject to funding Only short-listed applicants will be contacted. Due to the urgency of this position, applications will be shortlisted on a regular basis and we may offer this post before the closing date. Please note: this is an unaccompanied position. Merlin International Profile Merlin is the only UK specialist charity, founded in 1993, which responds worldwide, with vital healthcare and medical relief for vulnerable people affected by natural disasters, conflict and healthcare collapse. Each year, Merlin assists more than 15 million people, in up to 20 countries, through working with local healthcare actors including government, community groups and NGOs. Context The Democratic Republic of Congo (former Zaire) is the third largest country in Africa and one of the poorest. Decades of dictatorship and an ongoing, unresolved civil war has left much of the national infrastrucutre destroyed. Merlin has been operational in eastern DRC since 1997 when it established emergency medical support to populations in Maniema Province. Merlin teams have been providing emergency medical care to the most vulnerable, accessible populations in Maniema Province, Kasai Oriental Province, North Kivu and Orientale Province, and in response to the Goma volcanic eruption of Jan 2002. Activities include: emergency response, primary health support and supply, secondary health support and supply, reproductive health, institutional capacity building, nutrition, wat/san, rehabilitation of health facilities Merlin is the sole source of essential medical support for 110 primary & secondary health facilities, providing health care to over 1,100,000 beneficiaries. In Maniema Province, Merlin is implementing a USAID DFID funded primary health care and nutrition project in ten health zones, and a DFID (British government) funded referral hospital project in the provincial capital Kindu, totaling approximately 1.8 million beneficiaries. In North Kivu, Merlin implements a DfID funded primary healthcare project in Manguredjipa and Biena healthzones, with emergency support to IDPs within the province. Merlin's Goma office is a management and support office for five field-site projects in eastern DRC. The office handles the financial and reporting aspects of a multi-million dollar grant portfolio, the HR and administrative requirements for more than 20 expatriates and more than 200 national staff. Following recurrent insecurity in North Kivu, more than 340,000 people have fled their homes. Some are currently living in makeshift shelters and while others are hosted within local families. Access to health care is very low, due to a lack of support of to the health infrastructure and because of the prevailing insecurity. Living conditions are worsening as the conflict intensifies and spreads through the province. Thousands have fled conflict affected areas and are seeking refuge in other parts of the province. They are living in makeshift shelter camps, which lack adequate sanitation as well as potable water. To address these needs, Merlin is currently setting up programmes in Rutshuru and Birambizo health zones. Water and sanitation are key components of the programme in Birambizo, which aims to address the issue of potable water and adequate sanitation for the IDPs and host affected communities. This role will be key in providing the necessary assistance required. Core Responsibilities Programme Delivery Manage and supervise Merlin's medical response to emergencies in Birambizo Health Zone, Rutshuru territory Ensure appropriate drugs and medical equipment are ordered in a timely fashion Ensure correct management of drugs, medical materials and equipment to respond to the threats of disease, natural disasters, conflict and health infrastructure collapse, as required Ensure monitoring systems are in place and that project reviews are carried out periodically in conjunction with the Deputy Country Health Director and Project Officer (PO) Project Monitoring and Reporting Ensure use of established reporting frames for data collection, analysis and report at health facilities and/or IDP camps Provide adequate analysis of program indicators on a monthly basis. Support the preparation of periodical reports for donors and ad hoc reports and presentations for local authorities and partners. Participate in the preparation of donor proposals and reports in collaboration with the Project Officer Capacity Building and Training Develop and design appropriate training modules where feasible and conduct/supervise training activities to strengthen the capacity of the local health administration in emergency response, drug management, resources (human, logistics, financial) planning and management according to DRC national health policy. Human Resources Manage the medical staff, including team building and conducting appraisals. Where feasible, depending on the emergency context, assess the continuing training needs of the medical staff and ensure training needs are appropriately met and within budget. Security Ongoing monitoring of the security situation in the project area and region Ensure security guidelines are adhered to by line managed staff Provide timely and accurate security reports to the PO when required Other Provide coverage for other posts when needed and carry out any other responsibilities as requested by the Country Director Person Specification Essential Qualified doctor/nurse specialised in Public Health Good spoken English and French and/or Kiswahili, and written English Significant experience in PHC systems and/or community health centre development and management, preferably in Africa or similar developing country context Experience in working in an emergency context, preferably with experience of responding to health needs in IDP camps Experience in capacity building programs, experience in working with NGOs and community organisations Experience in basic epidemiological analysis Strong organisational skills Computer skills (Word for Windows, Excel, E-mail) Proven problem solving and organisational skills, flexibility and calm under pressure Good team worker; able to live and work closely with a small team under pressure Security aware Focused individual with capacity to plan and manage in a multiple deadline-working environment. Good training/capacity building and management skills. Willing to work in an insecure environment. Strong leadership skills Ability to work on own initiative. Desirable Previous experience within a humanitarian health organisation Working experience in the region Knowledge in Secondary Health Care Spoken Kiswahili Understanding of finances and logistics To apply for this vacancy Please download an application form from our website www.merlin.org.uk. Completed applications should be emailed to applications@merlin-uk.org stating in the subject field the job title, country and reference number (if any) of the vacancy you have applied for. |
Contact Details
| Name: | Jackelyne Weeks |
| Email: | applications@merlin-uk.org |
