Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health (RMNCAH) Clinical Program Manager 196 views

 

Position Title:Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health (RMNCAH) Clinical Program Manager 

Reports To:    RMNCAH Director
Location:Sierra Leone (Kono District)  

Organizational Profile:

Partners In Health (PIH) is an international health organization relentlessly committed to improving the health of the poor and marginalized. PIH partners with local governments to build local capacity and works closely with impoverished communities to deliver high-quality health care, address the root causes of illness, train providers, advance research, and advocate for global policy change. 

PIH currently has implementation programs in Haiti, Rwanda, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Peru, Mexico, Russia, Sierra Leone and Navajo Nation. Through our partnership with Harvard Medical School and the Brigham and Women’s Hospital, we support a wide range of programs in dozens of other countries around the world. 

Our Work in Sierra Leone:

Partners In Health (PIH) began supporting the government of Sierra Leone in response to the Ebola epidemic in October 2014. Recognizing the large need for continued investments in the health system after Ebola, PIH is committed to long-term health system strengthening in support of the Ministry of Health and Sanitation (MOHS), guided by the same principles as our emergency response and our work around the world: public sector accompaniment, integrated and comprehensive services, social justice, nimbleness and flexibility, partnership, community ownership, and evidence-based interventions. Following the Ebola epidemic and currently, the strain imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, PIH is committed to supporting the delivery of comprehensive health services in Sierra Leone, from the community level, through the peripheral health centers and to referral hospitals.

As part of overall health system strengthening, reducing maternal and newborn mortality is a core priority of both the Sierra Leone Ministry of Health and Sanitation (MOHS) and PIH Sierra Leone (PIH SL). Ending preventable maternal deaths is one of four PIH clinical strategic objectives globally. Sierra Leone has the highest maternal mortality ratio in the world at 1,360 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births (World Bank, 2015). Similarly, the state of newborn health remains dire, with a neonatal mortality ratio as high as 39 deaths per 1,000 live births. 

PIH has been taking on the ambitious goal to significantly improve overall reproductive, maternal and newborn health (RMNCAH) services in Sierra Leone alongside with MOHS to contribute to the achievement of the ambitious targets set for the RMNH program at national level.

PIH SL’s work is focused in Kono District supporting the Koidu Government Hospital (KGH) as a district hospital serving a total population of 505,767. KGH also serves as the Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (CEmONC) facility. In Kono district there are about 86 peripheral health units (PHUs), among them 5 have been designated to serve as Basic Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (BEmONC) facilities. PIH also supports a private primary care clinic and maternity centre, Wellbody Clinic (WBC), which was founded by Wellbody Alliance in 2007. WBC provides reproductive, maternal, and Newborn health services, including a labour and delivery centre. PIH SL plans to build a strong RMNCAH Program through strengthening CEmONC services at KGH, BEmONC and primary care services including antenatal care, intrapartum, postnatal care, family planning, and HIV/TB management at the PHUs and WBC, while also strengthening our comprehensive and integrated interventions at community level leveraging on the community-trusted structures like the Community Health Workers (CHWs) and the Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs).

Overall, PIH SL is ambitiously setting out to transform KGH into the leading RMNCAH hospital in West Africa, serving as a Maternal Center of Excellence (MCoE) in both the delivery of quality clinical care and as a health care teaching institution for the whole region. The MCoE is already at its construction phase with a 5-year plan and dedicated funding to crystalize the goal associated with this ambitious project. 

Position Overview:

The Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health (RMNCAH) Clinical Program Manager will work under the supervision and support of the program director to ensure effective operationalization of all RMNCAH related strategies and activities planned for KGH and all PIH supported facilities. The manager will provide daily direct clinical services to patients as needed, as well as clinical accompaniment and mentorship to midwives, nurses, and other maternity health care workers to ensure provision of quality maternal and newborn health services at those facilities in collaboration with both MOHS and PIH clinical staff.

Specific Responsibilities:

Clinical Care, Accompaniment, & Training

?      Under the supervision of the Program Director provide clinical leadership and management to the RMNCAH staff to ensure an effective running of the day-to-day activities of the maternity service. Work closely with the Program Director and all relevant PIH-SL/MOHS departments and units to identify needs and gaps in resources available for RMNCAH staff to provide quality evidence-based care

?      Provide direct clinical care as needed for women and newborns in outpatient and inpatient clinical settings at MOHS facilities supported by PIH including the provision of comprehensive antenatal, intrapartum, postnatal, family planning, reproductive, adolescent and youth friendly and, essential newborn health services

?      Work with the PIH HIV/TB program manager and the relevant entities at MOHS to support implementation and improvement of prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) and early infant diagnosis (EID) services at KGH, Wellbody Primary Care Clinic & Delivery Center (WBC) and all the other PIH-supported facilities.

?      Collaborate with the PIH neonatologist/pediatrician and pediatrics team to effectively coordinate and integrate care and services to be provided to newborns through the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at the MCoE and Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU), Adolescent and Youth Friendly Service (AYFS) clients, etc.

?      Provide direct mentorship to the Wellbody Clinic Maternal Health Manager in the management and supervision of maternal clinical services and staff at the WBC.

?      Provide direct accompaniment to the PIH Midwife Mentors to ensure that they can provide quality evidence-based supervision for nursing and midwifery staff at all PIH SL supported sites

?      Design and implement strategies and activities that will contribute to capacity building of maternity nursing and midwifery staff by effectively transmitting to them RMNCAH related knowledge and skills through theoretical teaching sessions, mentorship, coaching and on the job training. Ensure that trainings provided at PIH supported sites are aligned with MOHS and Government of SL policies.

?      Design teaching packages and oversee training activities and clinical support for student nurses and midwives during placement at KGH and PIH supported sites. Ensuring that supervision and training provided are of high quality and that knowledge and skills are well transmitted to achieve high level of competency.

?      In conjunction with the MOHS in Charge, oversee adequate induction, clinical support and preceptorship of new RMNCAH staff allocated to KGH and WBC.

?      Collaborate with PIH monitoring and evaluation, quality Improvement (QI), research teams and clinical staff to lead efforts to strengthen maternal and newborn health data collection, patients tracking, program/project evaluation and QI efforts related to maternal and newborn health at MOHS facilities supported by PIH and WBC.

?      Work with all PIH supported facilities via the Midwife Mentors to improve quality of service delivery through implementation of systematic and documented QI projects, and by monitoring and tracking key RMNCAH related indicators.

?      Contribute to the development and the implementation of protocols & treatment guidelines related to EmONC services, management of major direct obstetric complications, and other priority clinical areas in RMNCAH in collaboration with PIH clinical team and MOHS clinical leadership

?      Jointly with DHMT, plan, coordinate and implement community mobilization and engagement for RMNCAH services with the involvement of the RMNCAH Director

?      Support the E-Health Team to design a robust RMNCAH electronic medical record package and provide the necessary support for staff to adapt and incorporate this into their care delivery once it becomes operational

?      Work with the clinical team and MEQ staff to maintain good record keeping principles, so that quality data can be produced on all RMNCAH activities at all PIH supported sites

?      When required by the Program Director collaborate in all other RMNCAH activities including supporting the PIH Policy and Partnership team in proposal development, working with the finance team for budget management and review sessions, developing strategic plans for the RMNCAH and the MCOE.

?      As instructed by the Program Director, liaise and collaborate with partner organizations and agencies in RMNCAH programming and activities to share lessons learned and strategies of PIH model of implementation in order to further promote and strengthen reproductive, maternal, and newborn health in Sierra Leone.

Qualifications:

• Professional Midwifeor Obstetricianwith a minimum of 7 years of maternity clinical experience since qualification, at least 2 of which should be at senior management/in-charge level of a maternity department. As well as a valid license to practice.

• Eagerness to contribute to the implementation of an ambitious vision and strategy for the RMNCAH program and the Maternal & Newborn Center of Excellence in Kono district.

• Clinical and programmatic experience in global health delivery in resource limited settings (Experience designing, implementing, and managing maternal health programs)
• Experience in managing high-risk pregnancies and major obstetric complications
• Experience and qualification in providing clinical midwifery education, training, and mentorship to health workers. Being a Midwife Educator from a recognized School in West Africa is a plus.
• Sufficient level of experience and proficiency in using Microsoft software packages.
• Sufficient experience in data management in terms of understanding data analysis, data visualization and interpretation
• Proven commitment to social justice and passion for serving the poor and vulnerable
• Ability to be flexible and effective in the face of unexpected challenges
• Evidence of providing culturally sensitive and competent quality care in a complex, often stressful and resource-limited environment in collaboration with a multicultural and multidisciplinary team.
• Excellent communication skills including exemplary interpersonal communication skills, verbal and written, are required to effectively engage with senior leadership, partners, and clinicians
• Remarkable sense of humility, of intellectual curiosity, and commitment to creatively tackling seemingly impossible problems.
• Sense of humor and natural predisposition for socialization and team building activities
• Ability to live in Kono District, Sierra Leone full-time is required.

Partners in Health is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.