Health Emergency Consltant

LonAdd HR Consultancy Plc (www.lonadd.com) is a Recruitment & Outsourcing Company based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with branch offices in Dukem and Hawassa. We are looking to recruit a qualified applicant on behalf of our client.

Background and Justification

Clients Core Commitments for Children (CCCs) calls for the rapid provision and deployment of qualified personnel to act in humanitarian response and provide guidance for action across all sectors including child protection.

Benishangul Gumuz Region is has become prone to both natural and manmade hazards that lead to mortalities, displacements, and loss of properties in recent times. Conflict, disease outbreaks such as malaria, measles, cholera, and malnutrition are conditions that deteriorate the humanitarian situation in the region. The region was not known for man -made hazards so far; but recently the region has experienced frequent conflicts. In the past four years the region has been hit by frequent inter- communal conflicts and conflict between the government and UAGs in Kamashi and the Metekel zones which affected 15 woredas in the zone and resulted in displacement of hundreds of thousands of populations, damage to health infrastructure, death & displacement of health workforce, looting of drugs and medical supplies, and as result interruption to provision of essential health services for children and women.

In addition to the IDP/returnee emergency in the region, the COVID 19 pandemic has also drawn programmatic attention of the health system towards implementations of preventive activities of the pandemic. This has also brought additional workload onto the health workforce and affected coverage and quality of the essential MNCH services.

Due to the weak disease prevention and health promotion program implementation and public health emergency management system, the region is experiencing multiple public health emergencies in most of its woredas, including decease outbreaks such as measles, malaria, cholera, rota virus diarrhoea, etc.

Purpose

Given the increasing demand and need for dedicated health emergencies technical support and field level coordination and the extent of the emergency in two of the three zones of the region requires further monitoring, technical support and guidance in responding to the emergency situation timey and appropriately.

In addition to the regional level coordination, similar coordination mechanisms are to be established at zonal and woreda level. The establishment of these coordination mechanisms require the support of technical expertise in area of health in emergencies and this will ensure continued monitoring of the situation and on-going response. A dedicated health in Emergencies Technical Assistant(TA) is therefore required to provide the required field level support. This will help to provide technical support to the implementation of high impact and cost-effective interventions, monitoring, including end user monitoring of Client supplies and reporting of health program response while strengthening the strategic link to ongoing development programming.

Specific Tasks

Under the guidance and supervision of the Health program officer in Client Assosa FO, and with technical guidance from the Public Health Emergency Management (PHEM) directorate of Benishangul Gumuz RHB, the incumbent is responsible for the following key areas in the assigned zones and woredas:

• Provide technical assistance to the RHB on local Emergency situational assessment.
• Technically support regional and zonal level EPRP preparation,
• Provide technical support for the implementation, monitoring and reporting of health in emergency programmes, health component of the Client regional emergency response plan and ensuring that interventions included in health priority focus areas are implemented, monitored, and managed in a timely and effective manner.
• Based on needs assessment, support and facilitate capacity building trainings of zonal/woreda and health facility workers on different health topics as needed. Provide technical support for the adherence to relevant public health emergency management standards, protocols and guidelines.
• Conduct continuous assessment of the occurrence of outbreaks in the region focusing on epidemic prone, communicable diseases and support the conduct of immediate investigation and response.
• Support the preparation and implementation quality measles campaign with very good coverage, monitoring and reporting of any AEFI in the selected high risk woredas of the zones.
• Ensure the availability of essential health commodities and supplies and ensure their end use through regular monitoring.
• Ensure accurate and timely reporting requirements from zones and woredas are met and systematic coordination of appropriate health in emergency operational response plan, with other relevant sectors, especially nutrition and WASH.
• Compile accurate and timely emergency related data from HFs, woreda and zones and compile and share to the field office on monthly basis to incorporate on regional Sitrep, for monitoring progress,
• Provide support for the reactivation/ establishment of zonal and woreda level coordination mechanisms for effective implementation of emergency health interventions at zone and woreda level.
• Participate in the regional, zonal and woreda level emergency response related meetings and share minutes of such meetings with Client Benishangul Gumuz FO and Benishangul Gumuz RHB PHEM directorate.
• Support the regional, zonal and woreda level information management including collecting, analysing, and reporting of health situation and response interventions.
• Monitor the coverage of zonal and woreda level health activities and recommend for corrective actions to be taken in a timely manner.
• Undertake any other relevant tasks as directed by her/ his supervisor and assist with other duties in support of the Client health programmes in Benishangul FO.

Reporting

• The consultant will report directly to Health Officer in Assosa FO and technically to RHB PHEM directorate.

• An advanced university degree in the field of public health, field epidemiology, any other related field and at least 2 years work experience OR BSc degree in public health, nursing, or any other related field and at least 5 work experience relevant to health emergency in both development and emergency contexts.
• Previous experience in public health emergency program technical support, coordination, and management preferred.
• Knowledge of the local languages of the region, the locations in Metekel and Kamshi zones, and previous experience working with government counterparts in the zones.
• Strong knowledge and experience in establishing coordination architecture especially at zone and woreda levels.
• Fluency in written and verbal English required.