Overview:
The Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI – formerly the Clinton HIV/AIDS Initiative) under the leadership of former President William Jefferson Clinton III has worked since 2002 to reduce the pricing of HIV/AIDS medicines and tests, and to work with governments around the world to further turn the tide on the disease by building the systems needed to deliver care and treatment.
In ten short years, President Clinton and CHAI have made a substantial impact in the fight against HIV/AIDS. This includes breakthrough price reductions for drugs and diagnostics. Today, more than two million people living with HIV/AIDS are on lifesaving treatment using medicines purchased under CHAI agreements with manufacturers. This includes two out of every three children who are on HIV/AIDS treatment. CHAI’s greatest work is as a trusted partner to national governments whose efforts have made possible tremendous gains in HIV/AIDS services and public health. In addition to programs focused on HIV/AIDS, CHAI has expanded in recent years to assist efforts to fight malaria, lowering the prices and improving access to malaria medicines.
CHAI has also worked with a number of governments on improving the underlying systems needed to deliver comprehensive health care.
In 2006, CHAI signed an MOU with the Malawi government to strengthen health systems in the most challenged districts, provide national support to HIV/AIDS drug pricing and programmatic work, support the pilot and scale-up of prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) initiatives, expand access to ART for children, strengthen the Malawi’s Lab system, and scale-up an integrated nutrition program for children. CHAI’s support to Malawi has expanded to include Human Resources for Health, Family Planning, Health Financing, Malaria Treatment, and, recently, Point-of-Care (POC) Diagnostics.
Point-of-Care (POC) has the potential to revolutionize testing and access to treatment in the developing world. POC diagnostic machines offer a faster turn-around of results than traditional diagnostic equipment. This allows lower level facilities, particularly those serving patients in hard-to-reach areas, the ability to conduct critical HIV testing without sending blood samples to larger facilities, significantly reducing barriers to access. POC not only has the potential to increase access to treatment, but improve patient retention and improve overall health systems efficiency.
Position Overview
The Point-of-Care Diagnostics Program Officer will support efforts, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health (MOH), to increase access to POC testing services in all health facilities; select, evaluate, and scale-up new point-of-care (POC) technologies; create sustainable mentorship, quality assurance, and supply chain systems; and identify additional opportunities to strengthen diagnostics services in Malawi. The program officer will work closely with the Diagnostics Program Manager and mHealth, Early Infant Diagnosis, and Viral Load programs to integrate POC diagnostics into the national health system including coordinating policies and strategies with the Malawi Ministry of Health HTSS Diagnostics Department and the HIV Unit.
Based in Lilongwe, the Program Officer will work closely with the Ministry of Health (MOH) and development partners to help accelerate the uptake of new POC testing technologies in Malawi. CHAI’s activities will focus on accelerating the introduction of new POC products, evaluating these technologies, forecasting commodity needs, and supporting the national roll-out following pilot testing. The Program Officer will be supporting CHAI’s in-country presence to accelerate market entry, adoption and uptake of innovative, affordable and high-quality POC diagnostics. The position will require travel to health facilities within Malawi up to 25% of the time.
CHAI’s combined activities with CD4 point-of-care diagnostics are expected to increase patient access to on-site CD4 testing from less than 50% to over 75%, driving earlier ART initiation and increased retention. As technologies become available CHAI efforts will accelerate the evaluation and uptake of POC early infant diagnosis and viral load testing within the framework of greater national access.
In ten short years, President Clinton and CHAI have made a substantial impact in the fight against HIV/AIDS. This includes breakthrough price reductions for drugs and diagnostics. Today, more than two million people living with HIV/AIDS are on lifesaving treatment using medicines purchased under CHAI agreements with manufacturers. This includes two out of every three children who are on HIV/AIDS treatment. CHAI’s greatest work is as a trusted partner to national governments whose efforts have made possible tremendous gains in HIV/AIDS services and public health. In addition to programs focused on HIV/AIDS, CHAI has expanded in recent years to assist efforts to fight malaria, lowering the prices and improving access to malaria medicines.
CHAI has also worked with a number of governments on improving the underlying systems needed to deliver comprehensive health care.
In 2006, CHAI signed an MOU with the Malawi government to strengthen health systems in the most challenged districts, provide national support to HIV/AIDS drug pricing and programmatic work, support the pilot and scale-up of prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) initiatives, expand access to ART for children, strengthen the Malawi’s Lab system, and scale-up an integrated nutrition program for children. CHAI’s support to Malawi has expanded to include Human Resources for Health, Family Planning, Health Financing, Malaria Treatment, and, recently, Point-of-Care (POC) Diagnostics.
Point-of-Care (POC) has the potential to revolutionize testing and access to treatment in the developing world. POC diagnostic machines offer a faster turn-around of results than traditional diagnostic equipment. This allows lower level facilities, particularly those serving patients in hard-to-reach areas, the ability to conduct critical HIV testing without sending blood samples to larger facilities, significantly reducing barriers to access. POC not only has the potential to increase access to treatment, but improve patient retention and improve overall health systems efficiency.
Position Overview
The Point-of-Care Diagnostics Program Officer will support efforts, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health (MOH), to increase access to POC testing services in all health facilities; select, evaluate, and scale-up new point-of-care (POC) technologies; create sustainable mentorship, quality assurance, and supply chain systems; and identify additional opportunities to strengthen diagnostics services in Malawi. The program officer will work closely with the Diagnostics Program Manager and mHealth, Early Infant Diagnosis, and Viral Load programs to integrate POC diagnostics into the national health system including coordinating policies and strategies with the Malawi Ministry of Health HTSS Diagnostics Department and the HIV Unit.
Based in Lilongwe, the Program Officer will work closely with the Ministry of Health (MOH) and development partners to help accelerate the uptake of new POC testing technologies in Malawi. CHAI’s activities will focus on accelerating the introduction of new POC products, evaluating these technologies, forecasting commodity needs, and supporting the national roll-out following pilot testing. The Program Officer will be supporting CHAI’s in-country presence to accelerate market entry, adoption and uptake of innovative, affordable and high-quality POC diagnostics. The position will require travel to health facilities within Malawi up to 25% of the time.
CHAI’s combined activities with CD4 point-of-care diagnostics are expected to increase patient access to on-site CD4 testing from less than 50% to over 75%, driving earlier ART initiation and increased retention. As technologies become available CHAI efforts will accelerate the evaluation and uptake of POC early infant diagnosis and viral load testing within the framework of greater national access.
Responsibilities:
Working in close collaboration with MOH, the Point-of-Care Diagnostics Program Officer will:
- Coordinate evaluations and pilots of new point-of-care technologies, including research design, collecting data, performing critical analysis, and making policy recommendations;
- Provide analytical support for the scale-up of point-of-care technologies, including identifying the market size, selecting appropriate locations for deployment, and assisting in producing reports and presentations for donors and the Ministry of Health;
- Conduct forecasting and procurement of point-of-care commodities;
- Develop policy and standard operating procedures to integrate POC testing into the national HIV testing and treatment program;
- Travel to health facilities for regular field visits to monitor POC technology use, collect data, supervise health workers, and produce reports;
- Assist in the development of effective training programs, quality assurance and service and maintenance guidelines, and data management and supply chain tools to support accelerated product roll-out;
- Implement monitoring and evaluation (M&E) systems to measure the impact of POC testing;
- Offer technical advice and assistance to the MOH HIV and Diagnostics departments on lab strengthening related issues;
- Maintain a deep understanding of the HIV environment in Malawi, including understanding new technologies, being familiar with the national HIV Guidelines, and identifying opportunities for continued improvement;
- Attend policy meetings and prepare presentations for the Ministry of Health and partners;
- Work tirelessly to improve the public health system in Malawi increasing access for all patients and ensuring long-term sustainability.
Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree plus 2-3 years of work experience
- Fluency in English; excellent written and oral communications skills
- Strong problem solving skills and analytical capabilities
- Detail-oriented with strong organization skills
- Ability to handle multiple tasks simultaneously, set priorities, and work independently and flexibly with a strong commitment to excellence
- Ability to be effective in high-pressure situations and work in a fast-paced environment with limited-structural support
- Ability to maintain strong relationships with a variety of people and organizations, including but not limited to high-level Malawi Ministry of Health officials, district health officers, laboratory professionals, partner programmatic staff, and fellow CHAI employees
- High level of proficiency in relevant computer applications including Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
Advantages:
- Familiarity with the Malawi health system
- Experience working in the healthcare industry
- Familiarity with issues specific to labs and diagnostics
Options :
