AIDS Prevention Initiative in Nigeria, Ltd./Gte. (APIN) is a non-governmental organization registered with the Nigerian Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC). APIN has built a strong partnership with the Nigerian Government, which is memorialized through a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the National Planning Commission. APIN is a leading Nigerian organization in the provision of prevention, care and treatment services to patients with HIV/AIDS and other diseases of public health significance. Its operating experience in Nigeria dates back to 2000, when the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) initiated HIV/AIDS research and prevention initiatives in Nigeria, with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. In 2004, the HSPH project started implementing HIV/AIDS prevention, care and treatment programs with support from the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). These activities culminated in the establishment of APIN as an independent NGO in 2007, with the aim of building local capacity and sustainability of HIV/AIDS and other diseases programming in Nigeria. Presently, APIN operates as a direct implementing partner to CDC having just completed a 3-year transition from Harvard in line with the US Government’s goal of transitioning programs to local indigenous organizations. In the four years since its operations as an implementing partner of the CDC, APIN has managed a cumulative budget of more than $50m, a reflection of the growing confidence of the USG that APIN has built enough systems to operate as an independent implementing partner of US funds. In addition to the US funded activities, APIN is currently soliciting for other funding opportunities to diversify its funding base in the wider public health arena as part of its response to current health challenges and its overall sustainability plan. Apart from its contribution to evidence-based HIV prevention in the country, APIN is also one of the pioneers in the provision of comprehensive HIV/AIDS care in Nigeria. It currently supports the Federal Government of Nigeria to provide ARV care and treatment directly as a USG implementing partner tomore than 74,000 patients in 33 treatment clinics and 75 primary healthcare centers in nine (9) states. These clinics are equipped with state-of-the-art laboratories with capabilities for diagnosis and monitoring of HIV including CD4, viral load, DNA PCR and drug resistance monitoring (DRM). Similar giant strides have been made in prevention, systems strengthening, as well as in human and infrastructure capacity development efforts. It has a widespread network of service providers, communities, researchers and persons living with HIV and AIDS support groups in nine (9) states in Nigeria. APIN has a. purposive, exemplary and result-oriented leadership, committed and hardworking human resources and a broad-based support of collaborators in Nigeria and the United States. It essentially inherited the same dedicated team that has worked on the Harvard program in the last 6 -10 years.
- Job Type: Full Time
- Qualification: BA/BSc/HND
- Experience: 2 years
- Location: Plateau
- Job Field: Medical / Healthcare
The candidate must be domiciled in the state and be conversant with the terrain. S/He is expected to build the capacity of frontline Healthcare workers to provide quality HIV clinical services offered as part of a comprehensive package of care in both public and private facilities as well as in communities.
Responsibilities
- Provide on-site clinical training to health care workers on HIV treatment according to the national guidelines, including adult and pediatric ART and the treatment of tuberculosis and other opportunistic diseases.
- Provide training through clinical consultation, assisting local health care workers to identify key bottlenecks affecting patients’ access to antiretroviral therapy (ART), and helping them with direct patient care as needed
- Provide continuous medical education (CME), which may include didactic training sessions to health professionals, as needed. All training will be in accordance with the national guidelines.
- Provide health worker capacity-building sessions using various methodologies (including use of project ECHO, low bandwidth video conferencing).
- Assist as requested with facilitating sessions on the weekly ECHO videoconferencing sessions with health workers from various sites in the states
- Develop standard operating procedures for the provision of HIV clinical care at the health facility in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and other stakeholders. This may include troubleshooting problems with the patient flow, tracking defaulters, or clarifying referral pathways by developing appropriate algorithms
- Submit a monthly report on training and technical assistance activities, as well as findings and recommendations for strengthening services in the health facility and compliance with the national treatment guidelines
- Perform other duties related to clinical mentoring as assigned
Minimum Qualifications
- Must possess a degree in Medicine (MBBS or equivalent).
- Postgraduate qualification/Master’s level training in Public Health, Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, or Obstetrics will be an advantage.
- Must be registered with the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria
- At least 2 years experience in clinical HIV and AIDS care, including the provision of antiretroviral therapy (ART)
- Experience with program planning, assessment, and implementation of HIV clinical care programs will be an advantage.
- Previous experience in HIV-related operational research is an advantage
- Good knowledge of current trends and normative guidance (national and international) in HIV clinical care and service delivery
- Willingness to travel to clinics and hospitals in assigned geographical areas within the State
- Required Competencies/Skills
- Coaching and mentoring ability
- Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work with people of different backgrounds
- Ability to apply problem-solving skills to challenges.
- Strong organizing and planning skills
- Sensitivity to different cultural working environments
- Ability to analyze and interpret data, and write reports
- Capacity to operate both as a team player in large diverse teams as well as individually.
- Self-motivated with a strong work ethic
- Proficiency in the use of computers and software/applications such as presentation software, spreadsheets, and video conferencing.
Method of Application
Interested and qualified? Go to APIN on www.apin.org.ng to apply
