Medical Referent – Lassa Fever at the Alliance for International Medical Action (ALIMA)

The Alliance for International Medical Action (ALIMA) is an independent humanitarian medical NGO that was created in 2009 by professionals of humanitarian medicine. ALIMA’s mission is to provide medical care in emergency situations or medical catastrophes.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Medical Referent – Lassa Fever

Location: Owo, Ondo

Context

• In Nigeria, ALIMA is running four health and nutrition projects in Borno State: Monguno, Baga and Maiduguri, Research and Lassa fever response in Ondo State, OWO. ALIMA’s teams in Nigeria represent about 40 expatriates and 300 national staff.

Post Typology

• Report to (Direct): Project Coordinator
• Report to (Functional): Desk Medical Manager
• Staff Reporting to him: the medical team in the Lassa ward (medical doctors and nurses) in a technical way, and in collaboration with the hospital management in a hierarchical way.
• The doctor is collaborating with the hospital management.

Mission and Main Activities

• The Medical referent is responsible for the case management of patients in the Lassa ward, in accordance with the context, the protocols in force at ALIMA and the universal hygiene standards while ensuring the respect of the quality and continuity of the patient’s care. He is responsible for the medical team management and organization of activities in the Lassa ward.
• The doctor is also responsible for the training of the medical team to infectious diseases management (antimicrobial therapy), intensive care (in the limit of what is feasible in the setting of the Infection Control Centre) and basic principles of acute kidney injury and renal replacement therapy.

Responsibilities of the Function
Medical activities:

• Apply medical knowledge and skills to the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of Lassa fever (based on clinical examinations, laboratory results and available tests)
• Perform the daily medical tour of patients in isolation ward
• Propose and ensure the implementation of the appropriate treatment, in accordance with ALIMA’s recommendations and protocols, and consult the ALIMA medical referent for any particular or delicate case
• Provide quality medical follow-up
• Check the smooth running of medical activities in isolation (correct medication administration, adequate follow-up of patients …)
• Apply hygiene standards in all medical activities as stipulated in the protocols
• Keep the patient and family informed of any changes, and communicate the information to the psychosocial service manager
• Work with the nurse supervisor and the team leader and tell them what the needs are in terms of medical equipment and medicines
• Supervise triage (follow-up of notification forms, patient interview, list symptoms, substantial investigation, including contacts), admission, transfer and discharge of patients
• Ensure the correct identification and location of suspected and confirmed patients in the Lassa Treatment Center and other departments of the hospital
• Ensure that any patient who shows signs of seriousness is consulted within less than one hour and take all necessary measures for their proper management
• Supervise the follow-up of admissions of Lassa patients at the administrative level (sheet, register, medical file …) and medical (prescription, administration …) and ensure the oral and written transmission of this information
• Refer patients who do not meet the case definition
• Organize information sessions with the patient and his family on the management of Suspect / Confirmation in collaboration with the health promotion and psycho-social team
• Respect medical confidentiality and data confidentiality
• Respect and participate in the respect of the operating rules of the center (in terms of hygiene, circuit …)
• Participate in the identification of new needs, in terms of drugs and medical facilities, according to the pathologies encountered during practice, is responsible of medical order with the med DESK.
• Participate in medical discussions based on knowledge and area of his/her expertise

Organization:

• Organize medical activities in collaboration with the nurses and the medical team (roster for nurses and doctor)
• In accordance with the WHO, NCDC (updated in November 2018), national and ALIMA guidelines, and in order to ensure the quality and continuity of care, when the physician is not in service, he may need to define treatment protocols or to adapt treatments that nurses will have to implement

Monitoring, analyse and report:

• Participate in the development of the action plan
• Monitor medical activities, analyse them in context by adopting a public health approach, and if necessary make proposals on their possible evolution
• Report immediately to the technical representative any problem arising in the service, particularly the loss / theft / degradation of medical facilities or medicines
• Immediately report any incident of exposure that occurred in the Center to the medical referee and participate in the post-exposure care.

Training:
The doctor is responsible for the organization of training sessions for the medical team with a focus on the following topics:

• Principles of antimicrobial therapy (including good clinical practices)
• Management of patient with acute infectious diseases including intensive care (in the limit of what is feasible in the setting of the Infection Control Centre)
• Basic principles of acute kidney injury diagnosis and management, including renal replacement therapy
• Management of highly infectious patients requiring renal replacement therapy (for nephrology department team and more particularly for nurses in charge of dialysis sessions.

Experience and Skills

• Medical Doctor Degree, reanimation or internal medicine specialisation
• Desirable working experience with International medical NGO in developing countries.
• Working experience in Ebola or Lassa Fever outbreak or other viral hemorrhagic fever.
• Desirable: Experience in tropical medicine, or post-registration experience in Public Health, obs and gynae, paediatrics, A&E, infectious diseases, HIV/AIDS/STDs, TB, general practice, general medicine or minor surgery.
• English Speaking, reading and writing, mandatory. French is an asset.
• Essential computer literacy (word, excel, internet)
• Negotiation skills
• Strong interpersonal skills, team work

Conditions

• Contract term: contract under French law, 4 months, renewable
• Desired start date: As soon as possible

Salary

• Depending on experience
• Minimum net salary for non-Europeans: 2 000 Euros per month, social contributions and taxes are the direct responsibility of the employee
• Minimum gross salary for Europeans: 2 047 Euros per month, social contributions are deducted from the gross salary by ALIMA and paid to the relevant administrations, taxes are the direct responsibility of the employee
• Perdiem.

ALIMA pays for:

• Travel costs between the expatriate’s country of origin and the mission location
• Accommodation costs
• Medical cover from the first day of the contract to a month after the date of departure from the mission country for the employee
• Evacuation of the employee.

Application Closing Date
20th December, 2019.