Health Data Protection Specialist

Background:

International Medical Corps is a global, humanitarian, nonprofit organization dedicated to saving lives and relieving suffering through health care training and relief and development programs. Established in 1984 by volunteer doctors and nurses, International Medical Corps is a private, voluntary, nonpolitical, nonsectarian organization. Its mission is to improve the quality of life through health interventions and related activities that build local capacity in underserved communities worldwide. By offering training and health care to local populations and medical assistance to people at highest risk, and with the flexibility to respond rapidly to emergency situations, International Medical Corps rehabilitates devastated health care systems and helps bring them back to self-reliance.

IMC began operating in Lebanon as of 2006 war, playing an integral role in the provision of relief to conflict affected population. Since 2011, IMC-Lebanon expanded programming to meet the health and mental health needs of Syrian refugees and other vulnerable population through supporting the existing health facilities. IMC currently supports a network of approximately 50 PHCCs across Lebanon, a team of 71 community health workers, 12 mental health supported PHCCs and nine centers with GBV supported services.

As the IMC-Lebanon program is set up as a provider of health care subsidies for Syrian refugees, critical oversight of reimbursements is paramount. Currently, internal and external compliance regulations require that measures be taken to confirm service provision to ensure transparency and as part anti-fraud protections. While this is a necessity, IMC still has the responsibility to protect patient data and privacy.

The Health Data Protection Specialist will be responsible for developing the procedures to ensure the privacy and protection of patient data from IMC-supported facilities in Lebanon while allowing for compliance regulations.

Required technical and professional experience

Experience providing technical support and guidance related to data protection, security and monitoring, preferably related to health programming

Demonstrated working knowledge of relevant laws, regulations, and ethics surrounding patient confidentiality, as well as humanitarian/development standards and controls (e.g., Privacy Impact Assessments, Principles of Beneficiary data protection) governing information security and information assurance

Experience conducting interviews and facilitating focus group discussions with individuals across multiple departments and levels of implementation

Experience developing and reviewing protocols and standard operating procedures (SOPs)

Task Description: The Health Data Protection Specialist will be responsible for developing the procedures to ensure the privacy and protection of patient data from IMC-supported facilities in Lebanon. Specifically, the consultant will complete the following tasks:

1. Interview all relevant IMC staff and stakeholders to understand activities and procedures followed by the country program.
2. Review existing proposals, donor reports and audit reports to understand the background, context, recommendations and current IMC programming.
3. Work with IMC-Lebanon country team and partners to understand who requires patient data, what information they need and why they need this information
4. Review relevant policies and procedures existing within IMC especially those concerning access to information and the documents including patient data
5. Identify gaps in existing policies and procedure regarding access to patient information and confidentiality.
6. Work with HQ departments (compliance, M&E, finance, legal) to understand the needs from the HQ perspective and to ensure shared understanding between the field team and HQ
7. Generate a report on current practices and recommendations on:
8. How to move forward with compliance regulations while respecting patient data privacy
9. Which departments/staff would require access to data
10. How to obtain this data
11. How to explain confidentiality to beneficiaries
12. How to maintain patient privacy
13. What to do in case confidentiality is breached
14. Develop a patient data protection policy and procedure along with the relevant documents, patient feedback mechanism, monitoring tools and others.
15. Obtain approval on the developed material from key staff in IMC Lebanon and HQ.
16. Train relevant staff on the adaptation and implementation of the new patient data protection policies and procedures.
17. Meet with relevant staff to provide end of mission debriefing.