Medical Officer

he Institute of Health Programs and Systems (IHPS) is a South African non-profit company (NPC) born out of the PEPFAR CDC Track 1 transition of the ICAP, Columbia University, Multi-country AIDS Program (MCAP) in South Africa in 2010. IHPS was established with a mission “to strengthen health and development systems through program implementation and partnerships” and, the vision is to ensure “optimal and sustainable health and development outcomes”. IHPS is a current Global Fund (GF) Subrecipient (SR) under the National Department of Health (NDoH), tasked to implement the Tuberculosis (TB) Program in the Johannesburg (JHB) Health District in Gauteng Province (GP) and Kenneth Kaunda District in the North West (NW) Province starting April 2022 ending March 2025. As such, IHPS seeks to recruit for the positions outlined below, to be based at the Head Office.

Full Time
  • Contract Type: Fixed Term Contract
  • Start Date: April 2023
  • Remuneration: R86 841
  • Level of Effort: 100%
  • Closing Date: 16 March 2023
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Overall Responsibility

The role of the Medical Officer (MO) is to provide clinical oversight on the management of TB (DS and DR-TB) patients including comorbidities with HIV, COVID-19, chronic lung diseases, diabetes. This includes capacity building, clinical audits, ADSM, and supporting the DCXR teams. The MO will report directly to the Program Director (PD) who will approve plans and monitor progress against targets. In addition, the MO will work closely with the district/ subdistrict TB or HAST Managers and provide reports to the PD and DoH TB/ HAST Managers.

 

Key Performance Areas:
Management

  • Develop a district operational plan with clear timeframes, outputs and responsibilities. 
  • Conduct regular monitoring and evaluation assessments against project objectives. 
  • Support the development of district TB programme plans and ensure alignment with project plans.
  • Compile project reports and ensure accurate and timely reporting of activities (monthly, quarterly, and final reports) to district management and PD.
  • Supervise and provide technical support to the district-based teams.

Technical

  • Improve quality of TB care by providing training and mentoring of facility staff on clinical care.
  • Conduct clinical audits in selected health facilities.
  • Support the mobile chest x-ray teams with chest x-ray (CXR) reading.
  • Support the TB pharmacovigilance programme.
  • Strengthen the referral systems within the district to ensure continuous uninterrupted care of patients.
  • Strengthen the management of patients with co-morbidities.
  • Support the implementation of the CCMDD programme and inclusion of TB medicines in the formularies. 
  • Conduct mortality audits as required.
  • Strengthen patient screening and testing in hospitals and patient flow processes.
  • Support the implementation of and monitor adherence to the National TB Infection Control and Core Standards. 
  • Strengthen household contact screening and testing.
  • Provide clinical advice to Health facility staff on the management for difficult or complex TB or adverse events.
Qualifications and Experience:
  • Appropriate qualification that allows registration with the HPCSA as Medical Practitioner. Proof of current HPCSA registration.
  • At least 5 years’ experience working in the in public health sector.  
  • At least 3 years’ experience in large scale project management 
  • Experience clinical TB and/ or HIV management. 
  • Clinical DR-TB management would be an added advantage.
  • Proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint required. 
  • Experience in stakeholder management.
Required Knowledge and Skills, and Abilities:
  • Good understanding of the TB and HIV, AIDS epidemics in the country. 
  • Strong project management skills. 
  • Ability to think strategically, proactively identify barriers and risks, and optimize use of the resources at hand.
  • Analytical and problem-solving skills.
  • Ability to build, lead, and motivate effective teams.
  • Effective delegation to and development of project staff.
  • Excellent communication skills (both interpersonal and written). 
  • Ability to work under pressure. 
  • Administrative and management skills.

Employer’s Rights

This position description may not list all the duties of the job. If an offer is made, you will be presented with a detailed job description. Applicants will be evaluated based upon their demonstrated ability to perform the tasks listed above, their education and work experience. The employer reserves the right to revise this posting at any time.

How to Apply

Qualified candidates should apply by e-mail only to HR@ihps-sa.org. Subject line should be the Position and District you are applying for, and a cover letter and resume or curriculum vitae (CV) should be attached. Submissions which do not follow the above instructions will not be considered.
Due to the extremely high volume of CVs expected, only those selected for interviews will be contacted. NO PHONE CALLS about these positions will be accepted.

Closing Date: 16 March 2023