COVID 19 Care and Treatment Officer at Elizabeth Glaser

Project Overview (Anticipated UNITAID COVID 19 Project)

The emergence of the COVID-19 global pandemic has posed new challenges to already strained health systems worldwide. Governments have had to start prevention, containment and mitigation measures rapidly while evolving as new information becomes available. The anticipated UNITAID COVID 19 project will work with the national and county governments Covid 19 response teams to accelerate end-to-end access to novel solutions for responding to the COVID-19 pandemic through testing, isolation, care and treatment approaches adapted to the needs of low- and middle-income countries such as Kenya.  The Care and Treatment Officer will be based in Nairobi County and will work with MoH and partners at national and subnational levels on novel Covid-19 testing solutions and approaches to improve access to COVID-19 identification and management.

Job Summary

Under the supervision of the Project Country Lead, in collaboration with Ministry of Health (MoH), local partners and the UNITAID COVID-19 Project, the Care and Treatment Officer will undertake the following activities to strengthen access to Covid 19 case management within the community and health facilities in Nairobi County.

Responsibilities

• Support COVID-19 patient management as per the SOPs, identifying opportunities to improve efficiencies including integrated care for populations who may be at high risk.
• Collaborate with country lead to develop nationally-adapted algorithm to improve care and treatment of COVID 19 patients.
• Take lead to develop /Adopt SOPs, tools, and job aids to improve treatment for SARS-COV-2.
• Collaborate with MOH and other partners to develop innovative and efficient patient pathways based upon disease stage (e.g., community-based management for mild and moderate cases; clinical facility-based care for severe cases).
• Champion and support integration COVID-19 care and treatment into existing health programs mainly in TB, HIV and MNCH clinics.
• Support introduction and implementation of a basic COVID-19 care package, including a new holistic patient management algorithm in the project sites.
• Support holistic national implementation plans for current and future treatments, including WHO-recommended therapeutic interventions.
• Support a Center of Excellence to generate evidence for national guidance and scale up.
• Collaborate with a supply chain management partner to provide site level or last mile data for appropriate forecasting and inform resource allocation.

Required Qualifications and Skills

• A clinical diploma or equivalent is required with minimum of 4 years’ clinical experience. Educational and programming experience in public health is an added advantage.
• Clinical experience in a Covid 19 treatment center with patients is desirable.
• In depth understanding of both home based and facility based Covid 19 treatment guidelines.
• At least two years’ experience in infectious disease management in health sector preferably hospitals.
• Ability to translate and adapt international guidelines into local context. In-depth understanding of the country’s health system.
• Demonstrated ability to work with senior MoH officials at national and subnational levels.
• Basic computer literacy in using (Word, Excel, Power point).
• Ability to work alone and in teams and have strong interpersonal communication skills.
• Able to travel to different sites within county based on need.
• An experience with donor related projects is desired.

Competencies

The Foundation expects all employees to possess the fundamental competencies of interpersonal skills, communication, accountability, continual learning, and driving results. The ideal candidate will be either proficient or advanced in the following set of competencies, specific to this position’s level of Officer:

• Team Building – Team building is a person’s ability to inspire and foster team commitment, spirit, pride, and trust. He/she also facilitates cooperation and motivates team members to accomplish group goals.
• Customer Service – Customer service is a person’s ability to anticipate and meet the needs of internal and external customers while delivering high-quality products and services and being committed to continuous improvement.
• Decisiveness – Decisiveness is a person’s ability to make well-informed, effective, and timely decisions, even when data is limited or solutions produce unpleasant consequences. He/she will also perceive the impact and implications of decisions.