Vacancies At Targeted States High Impact Project (TSHIP)

GRADUATE INTERNS TO SUPPORT CHILD HEALTH INTERVENTIONS
BACKGROUND:
Targeted States High Impact Project (TSHIP) efforts in addressing  gaps  in child health interventions are appropriate and adequate given the identified needs of child health services now relies on the feedback of the lot quality assessment (LQAs- 2012) in which the indicators show weak performances.
Although the state government appreciate the Project’s emphasis on health system strengthening, its unprecedented scope and coverage combined with the determination to build genuine political commitment. This makes the project an effective platform for the institutional and programmatic support.
A lot of consideration is given to analysis of the contextual circumstances – the task greatly aided by the wealth of indigenous knowledge within the project team.  Excellent relationships have been built with the government and key players in child health. The project successfully plays a leading role in coordination of donor-funded projects in the states and their harmonization with government efforts.
Being pragmatic in its assistance to the government, TSHIP acts as the support mechanism to the states while avoiding excessive inputs in the interventions that may not succeed; instead, it focuses on building a sense of local ownership and improvement in the environment in order to make it more favorable for effective and sustainable programming. TSHIP inroads into joining the scaling up Nutrition (SUN) is one activity that is making use of indigenous and sustainable approaches (i.e. education mothers and caregivers through the social media and community structures)
However, the support required to enable a more robust and equitable delivery of community-based interventions with a focus on the remote and hard-to-reach areas where health facilities don’t exist or are not functioning effectively, requiring a revitalization of the successful health facility catchment area mapping process instituted by JSI/IMMUNIZATION basics in 2008.
The efforts to improve diarrhea management practices are extensive and good results already harvested from fewer cases of severely dehydrated children coming to the health facilities, but the issue of case management of malaria, diarrhea & pneumonia (acute respiratory infections) needs refocus and improved documentation and data capture.
The PY 4 Focus of TSHIP is primarily geared to ensuring cost effectiveness and depth of service delivery seen at all levels in the state. In the Child Health budget provision, the scaling down o f the polio monitors and replacement with interns will provide a pool of groomed youth to take up more enduring skills and proficiency from the current expertise within TSHIP. The inclusion will improve services quality and reduce expenditure in the system.
THE CHILD HEALTH COMPONENT CONCEPT
All components of the Child Health Interventions as reviewed by TSHIP must be functioning well in order to have quality service delivery and achieve high vaccination coverage among other interventions. These include adequately trained human resources, up-to-date and accurate micro planning, consistent and quality service delivery, timely and accurate stock management of commodities including vaccines, well maintained cold chain equipment and dry storage facilities, consistent supervision and monitoring, and a plan and resources for social mobilization. Strengthening these various components, however, requires that time and resources be targeted at improving one component at a time (the RI component concept).
Child Health Facilitator (CHF) will be given a different component of child health to focus on each month. In collaboration with Senior Maternal & Child Health Advisor, each CHF will develop a monthly work plan with the activities they will conduct in order to strengthen their component of the month. At the end of the month, they will report back on progress made on the component of focus. During the first month, the CHF focal persons will conduct a baseline assessment of the various components of Child Health in their LGA in order to determine the training and resources needed to strengthen each component. This will also give CHF focal persons the opportunity to get to know the LGA management system including RI, health facilities, healthcare workers present in the LGA and the ward development committees. Following the assessment, a different component will be the focus each month as follows for all the current child health interventions:
Reach Every Ward (REW) micro planning process for each of the interventions available
Healthcare worker training for all the intervention areas in phases.
Social mobilization and community engagement with the support of Community Mobilization Associates
RI data management and VPD surveillance.
 Cold chain and stock management including preventive maintenance of cold chain equipment
Outreach to poorly served communities and the internally displaced persons.
After working through all the components listed above, LGA Child Health Facilitator, in coordination with the SMCHA, may decide to repeat some components as needed.
A final assessment will be conducted at the end of every quarter to measure program impact.

OBJECTIVES:
The child health’s objectives centered on five key areas:
To Increase service delivery points that provide integrated services to clients (Growth monitoring, management of acute respiratory Infections, Routine Immunizations and management of minor illnesses to save more lives.
To improve data quality, use and feedback to relevant stakeholders at LGA and health facility levels.
To promote systematic distribution of vaccine, vaccination supplies, ACTs, Sulphadoxine- Pyrimethamine, Antibiotics, ORS/Zinc and to service delivery points.
To provide technical assistance to increase  and sustain optimal attendance during immunization sessions and child welfare activities; and
To engage the private sector through sensitization and resource mobilization with other stakeholders.
EXPECTED OUTCOMES:
Visible ward level child health (i.e. routine immunization, ACT given to <5, ORS/Zn utilization) coverage improvements by 30% by the end of August 2013.
Agreement achieved on integrated child health services to clients (i.e. nutrition, malaria, acute respiratory infections, immunizations against vaccine preventable diseases and treatment of diarrhea).
JOB DESCRIPTION:
INTERNS to Support Child Health Interventions
Assist the Child Health facilitators in collation and displaying of detailed micro plans, social mapping down to the ward particularly on the target population, where coverage gaps for routine immunizations, nutrition, malaria control, management of acute respiratory infections and providing on the job training for patent medicine vendors.
Assist the Senior Maternal & Child Health Advisor and Malaria and Child Specialist to provide requisite technical support in their LGAs of operation.
To closely supervise the cold chain and vaccines security in the LGAs of operations
Monitor the role of community resource persons enabled by the project to strengthen referral to their catchment health facilities.
To produce a SWOT report of the interventions supported not later than 5 working days of the end process.
Participate in all LGA level meetings and briefing.
Work with the Zonal Managers and Director Primary Health care to develop and implement an improvement plan for service delivery points in the catchment areas.
The consultant will work closely with Senior Maternal and Child Health Advisor to provide all required services that would ensure attainment of the overall objective as outlined
QUALIFICATIONS
A diploma in Social Sciences and certificate courses in Public Health or related field with interest in public health interventions.
The candidates must be below 24 years of age.
Computer skills including Microsoft Word, PowerPoint presentations, Excel, and Access; ability to produce accurate reports and data on activities.
Excellent communication skills in local languages; ability to give clear instructions; good English and Hausa writing skills an asset.
Willingness and ability to travel extensively in the field, under at times suboptimal conditions
Interested candidates should send application letters and recent curriculum vitae before the closing date.
CLICK HERE TO APPLY
DUE DATE: 30 May, 2013 – See more at: http://www.nigerianbestforum.com/index.php?topic=236654.msg540705#msg540705