Job Description
Background
Doctors Without Borders (DWB) is an international, independent, medical humanitarian organisation that delivers emergency aid to people affected by armed conflict, epidemics, natural and man-made disasters and exclusion from healthcare in more than 70 countries. DWB offers assistance to people in need and irrespective of race, religion, gender or political affiliation. Doctors Without Borders India (DWBI) has worked in India since 1999, providing free-of-charge essential healthcare to people in remote areas; treatment and care for people affected by HIV/AIDS, malnutrition; hepatitis C, tuberculosis, kala azar and sexual and gender-based violence; an important subject for our action is containing effect of antibiotic resistance. DWBI also responds to natural disasters and other emergencies, provides mental healthcare and advocates for the development of more effective and affordable medicines to improve access to treatment everywhere. We currently run projects in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Manipur, and Telangana. DWB was awarded the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development in 1996 and the Nobel Peace Prize in 1999
DWBI in Bihar
DWBI has been working in Bihar treating kala azar since 2007 with a gradual transition of the project to focus on HIV-kala azar co-infected patients. After treating more than 13,000 patients in Vaishali, DWBI began focusing on the treatment of kala azar-HIV co-infection in partnership with the Rajendra Memorial Research Institute of Medical Sciences (RMRIMS) in Patna in 2016.
DWBI response to COVID-19
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Doctors Without Borders India (DWBI) has set up a treatment facility in Patna (Bihar state), with the purpose of treating mild and moderate cases of COVID-19 with some capacity for palliative care, thereby decongesting the current referral hospital (Nalanda Medical College & Hospital) to be able to focus on the severe cases.
General
Location: Patna, Bihar
No. of positions: 6
Project: Patna COVID-19 Intervention
Last application date: 20th August 2020
Starting date: Immediate
Availability: 3.5 months (*subject to date of joining )
Email: msfe-patna-recruitment@barcelona.msf.org AND msfe-patna-hr4@barcelona.msf.org
Purpose of Post
We are recruiting for Lay Counsellor Educator to work in the COVID-19 treatment facility, Perform basic counselling and/or educational activities to patients, families, communities, following DWBI protocols and procedures, in order to improve the health condition of the patient.
Functional and Hierarchical Lines
Hierarchically and functionally accountable to IEC Officer
Main responsibilities and tasks
Accountability
- To do proper counselling of COVID patients and their partners to prevent transmission of infection
- To do proper drug adherence counselling of COVID patients.
- To counsel COVID patients and their attendants for blood transfusion when needed.
- To do active follow up of COVID patients when needed.
- To counsel each treated COVID patient to turn up for follow-up as per project protocol.
- To ensure community awareness about the specific disease, its symptoms and prevention measures and DWBI treatment programme.
- To assist in the assessment of humanitarian needs and emergency interventions arising in the region and if needed, showing flexibility, adaptability and commitment.
Specific Accountabilities
- To act as the representative of DWBI in the promotion of health education according to the DWBI Charter and mandate.
- To contribute to the capacity building of the District as well as block Health Staff.
- To assist in the assessment of humanitarian needs and emergency interventions arising in the region and if needed, showing flexibility, adaptability and commitment.
- Contribute to the reduction of the COVID associated stigma in the community and among the health workers.
- To reinforce referral system from PHC´s.
- To follow-up the COVID patients through phone or visits.
- To trace the COVID patients from selected project districts.
- To respect DWBI internal regulations, the contract and the present job description.
- To do provider initiated counselling and testing.
Specific Task
- Participate in the development of IEC material to conduct health and hygiene education.
- Participate in the planning on the dissemination of information to conduct health education sessions in the community and in the Health structure of the project.
- Conduct training sessions for health workers on transmitting / communicating messages to the patients.
- Collaborate with community leaders, health staff and local organizations to conduct health education at the community level.
- Identify sectors most affected by the disease and be able to approach these people.
- Active follow up of any other patient while or after treatment from any of the DWBI centres as requested by medical team, on a case to case basis.
- Act as translator to the International team when needed.
- Participate in medical/ nursing training session together with the field doctor and nurse, if required.
- To implement IEC activities for advance HIV project in district ART centre.
- To prepare monthly reports about the activities and goals achieved.
- To maintain all the documents (soft and hard copies) as per the assigned task.
- To provide pre and post COVID and Health Counselling on an individual basis in district ART centre.
- To evaluate the adherence to the treatment of our COVID patients and intensify adherence interventions for them.
- Provide adherence counselling per DWBI protocols according to the needs of the patients
Other Responsibilities
- In an isolation facility to treat COVID 19 there will be strict rules on infection prevention and control which will mean that patients are not allowed to have their family as caretakers on the ward.
- The Pharmacy Technician will have to adhere to the strict infection prevention and control guidelines that will be present on the ward in order to ensure that onward transmission of the disease is mitigated.
- PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) will be provided to all staff working in the treatment facility and training will be provided to ensure the staff are able to carry out their daily tasks.
Required working days
The nature of the work requires presence during night shifts, weekends and Public Holidays as per duty roster. Sundays are considered as a weekday. Special arrangements are only considered for official Public Holidays (as per Internal Rules and Regulations).
Requirements
Only candidates who are based in Patna are eligible to apply for this position. Qualifications
- Minimum 10+2 passed
- Desirable:
- Graduate in any discipline preferably social science
- Degree in social work or counselling will be an added advantage.
Work experience
- Previous experience in patient counselling is a must.
- Desirable:
- Previous (2 years working) experience in the field of social work or medical work is preferred.
- Previous experience in counselling and adherence counselling is preferred
Language
- Essential, local language native commandment; English would be an asset.
As this recruitment is for a specific emergency response on COVID-19, it is important that staff only apply for this position if they do not have one of the major risk factors for COVID namely existing cardiac complications, diabetes, hypertension, pregnancy or age > 50 years.
HR & Benefits
- SALARY: INR 24,880 gross/month. NON NEGOTIABLE
- Perquisites-daily allowance of INR 800/day or 24,000/month for candidates from outside Patna district).
- OTHER BENEFITS for candidates from outside Patna district: transportation to project location and accommodation.
- Benefit of 13th Month Salary (pro-rated basis on hire date)
- PF and Gratuity are applicable as per law.
- TOTAL LEAVES: 18 days annual leave in addition to 12 days, Short Sick/Casual leave (pro-rated based on hire date) plus 12 days Holidays as per specified list of holidays.
- Wide Medical coverage (Employee + Direct Relatives), as per organization policy.
Application Procedure
To apply please email your CV (Candidates need to declare their current location in the CV) and motivational letter mentioning why you would be interested to apply for the position with the subject Ref: Lay Counsellor Educator to msfe-patna-recruitment@barcelona.msf.org AND msfe-patna-hr4@barcelona.msf.org on or before 20th August, 2020.
Applications that are not completed (CV + Covering letter) will not be considered.
SHORT-LISTED CANDIDATES WILL BE CONTACTED AND INVITED FOR THE INTERVIEW
