Technical Specialist, Care and Treatment at Catholic Caritas Foundation of Nigeria (Caritas Nigeria)

Location / Community: Umuahia, Abia
Job Category: Care and Treatment
Job Type: Full Time
Project: 4GATES PROGRAM
Program: Health

Program Background

• The Global Action Towards HIV Epidemic control in Sub-national units in Nigeria (4GATES) program, funded by the United States’ President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) through the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is a comprehensive HIV prevention, care and treatment program being implemented in Abia, Delta, Enugu and Imo States.
• The 4GATES Program is a 5-year program that started in October 2017; it will end in September 2022. This program is been implemented in collaboration with Catholic Relief Services and ProHealth International.

Summary of Role

• Responsible for supporting HIV prevention, care and treatment activities in the assigned state with a multidisciplinary team. In collaboration with Caritas Nigeria Technical Teams and facility-based teams, the incumbent will provide HIV prevention, care and treatment services to patients through technical support to facility-based service providers.
• The objective of this position is to enhance service delivery and to strengthen the leadership and the capacity of the supported facilities in the coordination and delivery of quality HIV prevention, care and treatment services.

Description of Roles & Responsibilities
Provide effective support in the following regards:

• Build capacity of facility based clinicians through hands on coaching, supportive supervision and mentorship across program areas in HIV care and treatment.
• Provide technical input in the development of an integrated program work plan and contribute quota towards ensuring the achievement of program deliverables
• Scale up and monitor continuous quality improvement efforts for maintaining the quality and standards of care for HIV positive patients
• Ensure facility level conformance to the various National guidelines for HIV management by ensuring on-site availability of hard copy national guidelines, SOP’s and job aides and familiarizing service providers with the contents
• Carry out facility based needs assessments and proffer technical advice in line with organizational goals and objectives especially pertaining to service scale up
• Maintain current knowledge of HIV/AIDS patient’s standard of care at facility level through organization of regular didactic sessions, mortality reviews, case reviews/presentations etc.
• Follow up on implementation, monitoring and evaluation of quality improvement strategies identified by program area leads, training needs and participation in facility based multidisciplinary meetings such as patient care team meetings
• Direct management of complicated HIV cases (such as 2nd line and salvage therapy patients, TBHIV and other OI’s and pediatric cases) at site level
• Provide supervision to satellite facilities (spokes) as well as TB and PMTCT sites in the state.
• Monthly reporting of all activities carried out within catchment area, representation of Caritas Nigeria state/national/USG TWG meetings and related activities as designated.
• Participate in all desk time related activities including making presentations, organizational research, abstract writing and other professional developmental endeavors
• Ensure achievement of Treatment New target for assigned facilities
• Ensure the use of risk stratification tool for optimum yield of positives in assigned facilities
• Ensure every index positive patient receive Partner Notification Services (PNS) with a view to achieving average minimum elicitation ratio of 1:3
• Follow-up of all newly identified positives with a view to ensuring 100% linkage to treatment
• Support Clinical officers/Associate in the coordination of all ART clinic related activities in assigned facilities.
• Support Clinical officer/Associate and Facility Level Physician in the provision of clinical assessment and monitoring of patients on ARV therapy based on standard guidelines with emphasis on initial clinical evaluation. Treatment preparation, Same day ART initiation, in addition to prompt diagnosis of therapeutic failure using virological, immunological and/or clinical parameters as may be applicable
• Provide guidance to facility level focal persons in monitoring adherence to therapy and prompt identification and management of therapeutic toxicities.
• Ensure all patients on ART receive timely viral load test and documented results for clinical decision.
• Ensure all virally unsuppressed patients receive Quality and Complete Enhanced Adherence Counselling, timely repeat viral load, functional switch committee and appropriate and timely switch for confirmed cases of treatment failure
• Support Clinical officer/Associate and facility Level Physician in the Identification, diagnosis and management of opportunistic infection.
• Ensure regular nutritional assessment of positive patient (adult & pediatric) with a view to intervening either by therapeutic or supplementary nutritional support.
• Ensure prompt tracking of patients that missed scheduled appointment and Lost to Follow Up.
• Involvement in support group activities including orphan and vulnerable children activities and designing strategy that enhance social integration in conjunction with community based treatment support specialist.
• Provide guidance to Facility Level Physician and Clinical Associate in the diagnosis and management of pediatric HIV/AIDS using laboratory, clinical and nutritional parameters to ensure early and prompt ART initiation.
• Monitoring and follow up of retro exposed infants by ensuring post exposure prophylaxis, early infant diagnosis with DBS and Cotrimoxazole prophylaxis.
• Ensure prompt initiation of Positive Pregnant women on ART, all current pregnant positive women receive timely documented viral load and result used for clinical decision.
• Management of TB/HIV co infection with strict adherence to ISTC guideline and ensuring CPT.
• Use of Continuous Quality Improvement Processes for Improved Program Performance using scientifically proven methods to increase quality of service deliveries.
• Strengthen TB /HIV clinic integration
• Co-ordination of activities around TB infection control and prevention
• Monitoring of implementation of TB infection control plan
• Ensure functional and coordinated Differentiated Model of Care
• Achieve 100% regimen optimization with the use of DTG and age & gender appropriate regimen
• Weekly reporting of all activities undertaken to immediate supervisor
• Prompt flagging of all issues and impediment to target achievement in assigned facility
• Involvement in data quality assurance and ensuring complete and consistent EMR update
• Overall oversight of all ART related activities in the assigned facility
• Carry other activities as assigned from time to time.

Reporting & Supervision:

• The Technical Specialist, Care & Treatment, will report to the Technical Advisor in charge of the assigned state and will interact with the facility physicians and other Healthcare Workers on a regular basis and with all Caritas Nigeria Program Area Foal Officers and other units like the program and grants management.

Additional Responsibilities:

• The Responsibilities (Above) are not all-inclusive. The employee will also perform other related tasks as required and will be responsible for reporting and communicating progress and achievement of the specific assigned tasks.

Desired Qualifications, Skills & Experience

• Degree in Medicine plus a Pstgraduate Degree in Public Health is required.
• Seven (7) years post NYSC experience with at least 5 years’ experience in HIV care & treatment and at least 2 years supervisory responsibilities.
• Ability to lead teams and promote cross learning
• Ability to handle confidential information with discretion and make reasoned judgments in a timely fashion. Committing to a course of action without undue delay or prevarication
• Experience of dealing with difficult and sensitive situations in a professional manner.
• Ability to work under pressure, efficiently handle multiple tasks, quickly find creative solutions to problems and challenges that arise, and manage stress and time in a fast-paced work and fluid operating environment.
• Ability to foster and maintain a spirit of unity, teamwork, cooperation, and learning.
• Willingness and ability to travel.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
• Sensitivity in working with multiple cultures and beliefs, and to gender equity.
• Proficient with Microsoft Office software: MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, etc.
• Ability to work both independently and as a part of a team.