Internship - Public Health Unit - INT074 - Tyre, Lebanon

Eight years into the Syria crisis, Lebanon remains the country hosting the largest number of refugees per capita, with nearly 950,000  Syrian refugees registered with UNHCR, about 20,000 refugees of other origins - mostly Iraqi - and Palestine refugees under UNRWA’s mandate.  There are no formal camps for Syrian refugees in Lebanon, and refugees are living in hundreds of communities and locations across the country. 
The refugee response is led by the Government and UNHCR and UNDP, supported by the international community. As the designated lead agency in the refugee response, UNHCR has established a sector-based structure in Beirut and in the field. The structure brings together over 150 UN agencies, national and international NGO partners [over 150 actors, including UN agencies, national and international NGOs and Ministries] in identifying and agreeing on the strategic priorities to address the needs of Syrian refugees and vulnerable Lebanese communities. The Lebanon Chapter of the Response Plan falls under the Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan (3RP), whereby UNHCR guides the refugee response and UNDP facilitates the resilience and stabilization component.
The UNHCR operational response in Lebanon is one of the largest for the organization. Media attention and the frequency of influential high-profile visitors is high. The Office has grown substantially in the past years and is currently operating with around 650 staff. Aside from the country office in the capital city of Beirut, UNHCR has field offices in Mount Lebanon, Qobayat, Tripoli, Tyre and Zahle.
The Public Health Intern will support UNHCR Public Health Unit in its implementation and delivery of programs for the Syrian Refugee Crisis. S/he will assist with ensuring International Health and Nutrition minimum standards are met to minimize avoidable mortality and morbidity among populations of concern under the direct supervision of the Assistant Public Health Officer in Tyr.

Functional Statement:

• Assist with the implementation of the public health referral system including support with:
  • Following up on individual cases referred in order to ensure access of persons of concern to healthcare;
  • Applying the public health principles and channeling of cases through the existing primary and secondary health care services;
  • Seeking support for particular health cases from relevant health actors;
  • Keeping track of individual cases received for better tracking and generating thematic figures for potential support;
  • Drafting complaint reports in case of non-conformity in implementation;
• Assist with monitoring and evaluation of indicators relevant to the Lebanon public health program through support with:
  • Completing the quarterly phone interviews for persons of concern who were supported with secondary health care services;
  • Automating and filing the monitoring visit reports;
  • Drafting points on trends observed;
• Assist with updating and disseminating information materials on public health based on standard practices and policies among partners;
• Assist the Assistant Public Health Officer, in other duties relevant to service delivery for refugees.