MEDICAL COORDINATOR F/M - Blantyre, Malawi

In 2017, MSF took on the challenge of developing a comprehensive cervical cancer program with the ambition of improving the poor/almost non-existent access to screening, early diagnosis and treatment encountered in low- and middle-income countries. The program aims at developping new approaches and targets at all potential stages of the cervical cancer disease course from early HPV infection, development of pre-cancerous lesions and high-grade lesions, progression into an invasive cancer, metastatic cancer, and the end-of-life phase.

In 2021-2022 MSF set-up a 60-bed field hospital extending the Covid-19 ward of the main teaching hospital (QECH) in the country. The semi-temporary infrastructure was handed over to Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital (QECH) in July 2022.

In 2022, OCP took over a former MSF-OCB project supporting two Community Based Organization (CBO) in Dedza and Neno districts (Zalewa), providing health care, health promotion, and counselling to sex workers in partnership with the two CBO’s.

In 2023 – MSF responded to the worst cholera epidemic in Malawi in the last 10 years and to the aftermath of cyclone Freddy.

As per today, MSF France is running two projects and is the only MSF Operational Center (OC) in Malawi. 

To support the ongoing operations and medical activities, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) recruits his/her MEDICAL COORDINATOR - Blantyre in Malawi.
 

Main purpose :

In close collaboration with the Head of Mission (HoM) and the Medical Department, defining and implementing the medical strategy of the mission.  Being responsible for the planning and coordination of all medical activities and resources in the mission, according to MSF’s charter, policies, and ethical principles with consideration of international and national laws, in order to ensure the delivery of quality medical care for patients and their communities as well as to improve the health condition and humanitarian living conditions of the target population.

Accountabilities :

•    Being responsible for defining, monitoring and updating the medical content of the MSF country policy, medical strategy, annual plan and budget, translating the identified health needs into a medical strategic vision and project objectives, priorities and resources needed in order to cover the medical and humanitarian needs of the population at risk, and ensuring that the objectives and goals set in the Mission’s annual plan, CPP and project plans are achieved;

•    Being overall responsible for the appropriateness and quality of medical interventions conducted by the MSF projects and expected to identify and work on removing barriers to improve patient safety, effective medical care, and foster better patient-centered activities ;

•    Continuously monitoring the medical and humanitarian needs in the Mission country through exploratory missions, the use of health information systems, monitoring and reviewing project proposals, determining necessary resources in order to cover medical and humanitarian needs of the population at risk

•    Being responsible for the supervision and monitoring of the medical technical aspects, humanitarian needs and in coordination with the Logistics Coordinator, the material aspects of the programs through regular field visits, analysing any difficulties during the implementation and reporting deviations as they appear, in order to proactively provide the necessary solutions and achieve operational results;

•    In close collaboration with the HR Coordinator, participating in the planning, definition and sizing of the health-workforce in the mission and supervising the associated processes (recruitment, validation of medical staff, training/induction, evaluation, potential detection, development and communication). Coaching and directly supporting project coordinators and medical teams in the implementation of the medical activities;

•    Together with the HR Coordinator, defining, updating and implementing the Mission’s Health and Safety Policy Framework including medical insurance, social packages and repatriation policy. Ensuring the guarantee of the highest possible level of medical related security issues (mental and physical health and safety in the workplace) and monitoring the psychological status of all mission’s staff, suggesting solutions to help improve mental health related issues;

•    Being responsible for defining and sizing other resources (pharmacy and medical equipment management in collaboration with logistics) and timelines, processes and protocols. Ensuring preparation of all medical orders in collaboration with the Logistics Department and the submission of all medical purchase requests to HQ. Being accountable for the proper management of the pharmacy in the mission, including projects;

•    Providing reports on the mission’s evolution from the medical perspective, as required, and is responsible for the Medical Library of the project. Informing the medical field staff of all materials available, and keeping all medical documents updated in the database.

The role involves representing MSF before local medical authorities and keeping regular contact with other counterparts in the mission (NGOs, local organizations, donors, authorities) in order to broaden the medical-humanitarian situation analysis, and strengthening the impact of the medical intervention together with supporting advocacy actions to raise humanitarian awareness.

Specific accountabilities :

CERVICAL CANCER PROJECT (CC PROJECT):

The Cervical Cancer program is a comprehensive one from screening of cervical cancer screening in the peripheral health facilities to treatment including surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The program also includes supportive services like physhiotherapy, mental health support, patient education etc.Given the typology of this project, a close collaboration with the medical Department, experts in the field and Paris Oncology Unit teams at HQ is needed and required. The medical coordinator should therefore fonction as a catalysateur to ensure the collaboration works in both ways with a strong proactive problem-oriented approach. 
A high reasearch component is attached to this project and requires the implication of the medical coordinator. 
 
The role of the medical coordinator is to provide the medical operational vision to the program, in close collaboration with the medical Department and Paris Oncology Unit. Responsibilities are as follows:
•  to facilitate and organise technical discussions between the required medical referents and the field based on the identify needs ensuring that the field experts are as well included;
•  to provide strategic advice based on existing data to guide the screening CC activity, including developing plan to reduce the lost of follow up, adapting the screening activity to a person care approach , ensuring integration with the MoH activities, following up on current research done at field level related to screening;
• to provide support and contribute to developing the medical strategy for activities related to palliative care, health promotion, mental health, patient education, social support and physiotherapy embeded in the project;
• to provide strategic support and guidance to the activities inside QECH (OPD, surgery, chemotherappy, IPD, hystopathology lab, etc.);
• to provide strategic guidance to the gyne decentralization activities;
• to foster networking and a good collaboration and information sharing with the Ministry of Health at all levels as well as with other partners;
• in collaboration with the project epidemiologist, to analyse and ensure data from EMR is used to adapt the activities and themedical strategy using the monitoring and evaluation system in place; 
• in collaboration with the pharmacy coordinator, to ensure that medical orders are performed on time and that the medical standard list is updated and reviewed based on the project needs.
     
COMMUNITY BASED ORGANIZATION (CBO):
Through the Medical Team Leader and the Project Coordinator, the Medical Coordinator provides his/her support on various thematics/topics of the project including the :
•    Improvement of Sexually Transmitted Infections diagnosis and treatment
•    Capacity building of CBO members to improve their financial independence
•    Follow-up the implementation of  injectable Cabotegravir used as PreExposure Prophylaxis    
•    Improvement of data quality of the CDC database. 

EMMERGENCY PREPARNESS (EPREP):
From recent discussions have emerged the validation of 2 EPREP scenarios: cholera and displaced population (floods or cyclones). Nutritional crisis is a constant threat in Malawi given the deterioration of financial and socioeconomic tissue.  

Profile :

Education :
Essential: degree in medicine or other paramedical studies. 
Desired: experience in complex medical programs and experience in oncology. 

Experience :
Essential: working experience of at least two years at coordination level in MSF or other humanitarian NGOs in developing countries.

Languages :
Essential: fluency in English (Minimum C1)

Knowledge and compentencies :

• Essential computer literacy (word, excel and internet)
• Competencies
• Strategic Vision L2
• Leadership L2
• People Management and Development L3
• Service Orientation L3
• Team work and Cooperation L4