Field Medical Advisor - 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:

This position will support International Medical Corps' emergency response delivering outpatient clinical care to disaster effected populations by Beirut Blast.

The Field Medical Advisor will be in charge of providing clinical and technical mentoring and supervision to the IMC supported primary health care centers (PHCCs) in the area to which s/he is assigned. The Field Medical Advisor will ensure and oversee all Primary Health Care (PHC) components implemented according to the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) and WHO quality standards in addition to coordinating with the other program staff

Main Responsibilities:

Technical

• • • Follow-up on implementation of a basic package of primary health care components at the PHC facilities; guided by the policy and guidelines of the MoPH.  Areas of concern include reproductive health, child health and integrated management of childhood illnesses, nutrition, communicable disease control and management of non-communicable diseases,
    • Engage directly with physicians at PHCCs, review clinical guidelines and protocols and discuss patient treatment plans where needed
    • Interpret technical and operational guidelines to the PHCC staff and support them in applying these guidelines to specific circumstances within the assigned area
    • Approve the requests for diagnostic tests ordered by the PHC facility physicians and monitor diagnostic tests prescription
    • Work closely with the field team and Monitoring and Evaluation team to analyze morbidities, service utilization, and care seeking behavior
    • Monitor early warning systems for outbreaks and investigate emergence of communicable diseases
    • Work closely with the pharmacists and field teams to monitor medication prescription and promote rational use of medications.

Quality:

• • • Perform regular visits to supported facilities according to a schedule developed in collaboration with Area Manager and Health Officer(s).
    • Monitor the quality of services at health facilities and identify gaps and problems according to MoPH standards
    • In collaboration with the facility staff and IMC health staff, identify goals and develop quality improvement plans for the clinic.
    • Track the performance of health facilities towards meeting a set of quality improvement indicators.
• Provide feedback on and input into IMC’s quality improvement activities and reporting tools. 

Coordination and Representation

• • • Build strong relations with partner health facilities and physicians by conducting regular visits and offering technical support and mentoring to achieve quality improvement in accordance with IMC quality program.
    • Take part in relevant meetings in assigned area including but not limited to health staff meetings, health coordination meetings, and meetings with specific implementing partners.

Other

• Provides advice and support to aid in development of staff at IMC’s partner PHCs, including in-services training
• Adhere to all of IMC’s policies and procedures, including Code of Conduct and Standard Operating Procedures
• Perform other tasks as requested by the Area Manager

Competency:

• Fluency in Arabic required with excellent levels of written and spoken English.
• Strong knowledge of MS Office including MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook

• Working knowledge of French preferred.
•  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