Pharmacist - Beirut and Mount Lebanon - Emergency Response

Background:

When catastrophe hits, International Medical Corps is often one of the first humanitarian aid organizations on the scene providing rapid and effective aid that saves lives, reduces suffering, and promotes self-reliance.

International Medical Corps: provides safe, timely, effective, efficient, equitable and patient centered care; offers needs-based response according to the context and type of Sudden Onset Disaster and/or outbreak in the affected nation: adopts a human rights-based approach to their response; ensures they are accessible to all sections of the population affected by the SOD and/or outbreak particularly the vulnerable; and treats patients in a medically ethical manner consistent with the World Medical Association Medical Ethics Manual.

International Medical Corps is accountable to: patients and communities; host government, Ministry of Health; our organization and donors. International Medical Corps commits to a coordinated response under the national health emergency management authorities. International Medical Corps collaborates with the national health system, the cluster and the humanitarian community.

Job Purpose:

Manages/coordinates procurement of medication, medical commodities, equipment at supported PHCCs. Monitors the storage and dispensing of medication, and provides relevant reports. Provides needed capacity building to the pharmacy unit at PHCCs.

Main Responsibilities:

1. Managing medication and medical supplies requests, consumption and donations for all IMC supported PHC Centers and dispensaries. S/he is required to: 
a. Conduct full needs assessments of medication at the supported centers. S/he leads the needs assessment of medical supplies and equipment as well and takes input from the health officers and field medical advisors. The assessments should be conducted in close coordination with the area manager and the pharmacy advisor and should be aligned with national guidelines and/or WHO guidelines.
b. Prepare Goods Issue Orders for medication, medical supplies and equipment.
c. Provide support to the clinic staff during the receipt of IMC medication at the warehouse and/or centers.The area pharmacist is asked to attend the receipt of IMC medication, s/he will support the clinic staff in counting and documenting the received quantities and will report back to the pharmacy advisor.
2. Ensuring that the donated medication stock is properly managed:
a. The area pharmacist ensures that medication and medical supplies are being stored in adequate conditions.
b. The area pharmacist needs to run a monthly inventory of IMC medication.
c. The area pharmacist needs to check the stock status of all provided items at the centers at the end of each month.
3. Ensuring that the donated medications are properly prescribed. The area pharmacist reviews medical prescriptions for safety and appropriateness. S/he analyzes the prescribing patterns and ensures in rational prescribing practices are applied at the centers.
4. Observing and assessing the dispensing of medication.
The area pharmacist is asked to spend a time at the pharmacy to observe the process of medication dispensing and ensure correct and safe dispensing of medication by the medical staff at the center. S/he is not responsible for dispensing medication directly to beneficiaries. During all reviews, the area pharmacist should resort to national guidelines and/or WHO guidelines.
5. Building the capacity of the medical staff at the supported centers. The area pharmacist is expected to routinely prepare and conduct trainings on topics related to the management of medication and medical supplies. Examples of topics are proper storage of medication, medication reconciliation, etc.
6. Assessing the compliance to a set of quality standards related to pharmacy management and preparing a quality improvement plan accordingly
7. Meet with the medical staff at the supported center and put in action an improvement plan in coordination with the health officer.
8. Conduct patient file monitoring by matching data from patient files at the supported centers.
9. Any other relevant activities needed from the Health department should be done on time 
10. Reporting: Stock consumption, Patient demographics,  Qualitative report dealing with monthly updates

Desirable qualifications: 

Doctor of Pharmacy is a plus; Master's in Public Health is a plus

Desirable experience: 

NGO experience
Experience in Primary Health care

Essential competencies:

Excellent communication skills
Able to work within a team
Strong commitment to work
Able to work under stress
Strong commitment to the organization and its values

Desirable competencies:

Able to take initiative within a defined framework
Flexible and creative
Microsoft office skills

 General specifications for all positions:

• Experience in working closely with community members throughout a program cycle

• Experience in or understanding of program accountability principles
• Knowledge of, respect and empathy for the communities we are working with
• Commitment to championing community and partner points of view
• Strong understanding of the project cycle and of M&E systems
• Good interpersonal and influencing skills
• Non-discriminatory and readiness to involve men, women, girls and boys from diverse backgrounds, particularly the most marginalized segments of the community
• Very good listening and facilitation skills – capable of managing and facilitating group discussions with program participants, local officials, partners and all levels of staff
• Ability to mobilize people – to develop and maintain relationships with staff and communities to ensure their participation in International Medical Corps ways of working