Psychiatric Clinical Officer
Partners in Health (PIH) is a non-profit organization based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, whose mission is to provide a preferential option for the poor in health care, Through service delivery, training, advocacy and research, PIH works globally to bring the benefits of modern science to those most in need and to serve as an antidote to despair, PIH has programs in Haiti, Peru, Guatemala, Mexico, Russia, Rwanda, Lesotho, Malawi, Burundi, Kazakhtsan , the Dominican Republic and Boston
PIH began working in Malawi in 2007, where today we serve a catchment area of 147,000 people through 12 health centers and 2 hospitals in partnership with our sister organizations, Abwenzi Pa Za Umoyo (APZU) is in Neno district and we seek to recruit suitably qualified and experienced candidate for the following position tenable at Neno Boma and Lisungwi
Psychiatric Clinical Officer, Lower Neno
Reports to Clinical Manger, Lower Neno,
Location: Lisungwi Community Hospital, Neno District Malawi
All APZU Clinical Officers are responsible for ensuring the delivery of high quality patient care to patients in the Neno District, The APZU clinical officers work closely with APZ doctors, clinical officers, and nurses as their MOH counterparts at the respected sites to support clinical excellence in implementing district-wide high-quality patient care, Clinical Officers are expected to round on patients on the general wards as well as at various out-patient clinics at Neno district Hospital, This specific position is focused on mental health care in the district and will be based at Lisungwi Community Hospital with a focus on clinical care for mental health patients in the lower half of the district ( 1 hospital and 5health centers), although work may span across the district as well. It will be a position closely paired to the MOH counterpart, the psychiatric clinical officer working out od the district hospital, Mental health initiative will include decentralization of care for mentally ill patients to all health centres through an integrated care model, working on quality of care for mental illness at all levels of care in Neno Dsirtcit trhough mentorship, quality improvement initiatives, research projects, and other program implementation for mental illness
Working in close partnership and collaboration with the MOH Clinical Officer in charge of mental health in Neno District on all activities related to mental health, Taking the lead on close mentorship of colleagues on the clinical team on how to care for patients with mental illness, development, implementation and monitoring of new projects and protocols around mental illness in Neno District, Taking the lead on quality improvement projects to address mental illness in Neno District, Helping develop training materials and clinical tools for mental health, Working with the MOH lead on mental health to develop, implement and monitor a workplan on improving access to and quality of the mental health program in Neno District, Helping identify and measure programmatic indicators to mental health in conjunction with MOH, clinical and M&E teams, Support health center programs in improving mental health care including mentorship, supply chain, systems, and program implementation, Help MOH and APZU implement new guidelines and protocols, may include piloting tools for the national NCD Unit in mental health, Coordinate with the MOH and APZU community health team members to develop strong links for mental health care between clinical community programs, Work with clinical leadership from APZU and MOH to identify and carry out research priorities in mental health
In addition, through this position is primarily focused on mental health, it will also entail the following duties typical of all clinical officers in Neno on an as needed basis, Attending ward rounds on female, male, pediatric and maternity wards at Neno District Hospital as assigned, Assisting in Outpatient and Chronic Care clinics, ART clinic, community outreach clinics as assigned on an as need basis, Provide Powerpoint lectures on various medical topics to enhance medical education, both at the hospital and health centers, Any other duties that may be assigned
A minimum of Diploma in Clinical Medicine as well as specific training in mental health ( a bachelors degree is a relevant field will be an added advantage), Minimum of 2 yrs experience providing clinical care for patients with mental illness, Active registration with the Malawi Medical Council, Native of Malawi, fluent in Chichewa and English with written proficiency in English, Willingness to live and work fulltime in a rural setting, Ability to work well in a dynamic team environment alongside health workers, support staff, and patients from a variety of backgrounds, Computer literate include Microsoft Word and Excel, Able to work during odd hours and off days, Able to work with respect to patients and poor people, Able to work under minimum supervision, A strong interested in learning social medicine, that is a willingness to look at diseases of poverty through a wide “biopsychosocial” lens that draws upon knowledge from a wealth of discipline including clinical medicine, sociology, anthropology and public health, Should be willing to work at odd hours, weekends, on call and during emergencies without expectation of additional compensation
All interested candidates should submit their applications and detailed CV with traceable refs to The Human Resources Director, Partners in Health, P O Box 56, Neno, or email to apzuhr@pih.org not later than October 9th Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
