Medair is an international humanitarian organization established in 1988. Medair has been operating in Afghanistan since 1996 with programs mainly in the Health, Water & Sanitation, and Livelihoods sectors with significant reconstruction activities in remote areas. Current projects are Water & Sanitation, Food Security, & Disaster Risk Reduction.

An Integrated Emergency Response: Medair aims to respond to high levels of food insecurity, malnutrition, and morbidity in Tirinkot district.  The project intends to improve and extend WASH services including water supply infrastructure and hygiene practices to improve outcomes for vulnerable families.

An Integrated Emergency Response: Medair aims to respond to high levels of food insecurity, malnutrition, and morbidity in Uruzgan, which has been significantly affected by drought and conflict conditions. Building upon Medair’s decades of experience in the Central Highlands and Kandahar, the project intends to improve and extend the utilization of lifesaving preventive and curative nutrition and health services by mothers, PLWs, and children U5; to increase access to clean water, to reduce vulnerability to water-related and other preventable diseases, and to improve and increase food security for the most vulnerable families through food voucher distributions.

Overall purpose

To be a member of a Health & Nutrition team providing integrated health & nutrition services to targeted communities. The Midwife will work towards implementation of the (MISP) Minimal Initial Service Package. The Midwife will provide RH services:  ANC, PNC, FP counselling and safe delivery planning to improve access to facility based skilled birth attendance.  ANC is one of the core interventions for improving maternal outcomes. The Midwife will ensure provision of ANC services to enable early identification of pregnancy related risks and complications; including birth preparedness and complication readiness and ensure access to health education, vaccinations, diagnostic tests, and treatments services.  As such the midwife will screen the high-risk cases, prevent, detect, and treat at the earliest any complications, while ensure continued risk assessment and provision of ongoing primary preventive health care. The Midwife will prescribe routine medications to pregnant women according to approved treatment protocols and guideline and provide syndromic management of STIs where necessary. The Midwife will provide essential PNC services for Mothers and babies during the first four weeks after birth. As such the services will include support to the mothers for easy transition, early diagnosis and treatment of any complications, guidance on breastfeeding nutritional guidance and guidance on contraception and family planning.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Technical:

ANC Services for Pregnant Women:

• Registration of all women attending for Antenatal Care Services
• Perform History taking, general physical and obstetrical antenatal examinations of pregnant women and provide diagnosis and appropriate treatment according to National protocols and guidelines
• Explains the medical procedures to take place to the clients while taking the relevant services from the MHNT
• Identifies patient care requirements for patients and ensure their needs are met
• Perform Laboratory investigations available and refer for further investigations in the nearby health facility
• Assess referral needs for pregnant women with complication for advance treatment services from higher level of care for further management
• Conduct health education sessions on basic and key health messages/topics to the clients according to project technical areas
• Provide routine ANC medications (Iron, Folic Acid supplements and SP Prophylaxis) to the clients and provide necessary treatments and dispensing based on their individual needs
• Check for routine ANC vaccinations (Tetanus Toxoid) and refer clients for immunization to nearby EPI health facilities for EPI services as per National guidelines
• Record all the necessary information on the existing reporting’s tools (registration book and card for each client) etc
• Inform Clients for follow up visits.

PNC Services include:

• Provide information to Mothers on routine postnatal visits,
• Perform physical examination including measurement of blood pressure, testing of urine for bacteriuria and proteinuria, blood tests to detect syphilis and severe anaemia and routine weight and height measurement at each visit and perform growth monitoring and promotion for new-borns/U5 children
• Identification of complications and its managements of mothers and new-borns during postnatal period and provide referral services when necessary
• Provide education on essential new-born care practice that includes cord care, breast feeding, and thermoregulation, eye care, and immunisation, recognition of danger signs with special emphases on the care of low-birth-weight infants
• Promotion of exclusive breastfeeding, personal hygiene,
• Provide education about nutritional supplements, Postnatal vitamin A and iron supplementation for mothers, Ensure immunization of new-borns and family planning counselling and services for both mother and father
• Assess patient for referral if needed (Patient with complication referred for advanced treatment services).
• Record all the necessary information on the existing reporting tools (registration book and cards for each client etc.)

Post Natal Family Planning:

• Provide Family planning (FP) counselling and the available services at the site (both mother and father)
• Provide preconception counselling and preventive screening and family planning options
• Provide counselling and give information on the FP commodities such as, birth control methods, devices, and supplies such as birth control pills, injectables, condoms, diaphragms, and IUDs and refer for FP services from a nearby health facility
• Record all the necessary information on the existing reporting tools (registration book and FP cards)

Quality Management

• Ensure adherence to the provided internal and external protocols and guidelines.
• Ensure accurate record keeping of all health-related activities, filling in forms, cards, registration books and records keeping.
• Compile reports as required and requested by Health and supervisor.
• Conduct on the Job training to Health assistant and NEWs based on need ,Ensure the functionality of feedback mechanism and AAP.

Logistics

• Ensure safe storage of all supplies, medicines and medical material and equipment
• Ensure accurate record keeping of stock movements.
• Assist the Health Supervisor in preparing stock requests

MAIN ACTIVITIES

• Facilitate the referral for complicated patients with official document for advance treatment to higher health centers.
• Record all necessary information in the existing reporting tools (registration book, beneficiary register etc.)
• Provide health and nutrition educations on breastfeeding initiation of BF, (EBF), complementary feeding, and hygiene, care of pregnant and lactating women to prevent illness.
• Update all reporting tools on daily basis.
• Keep and maintain a good filing system for all documents
• Prepare the reports (Daily, Weekly, and monthly) according to the standard reporting tools.
• Assist line supervisor to perform other duties assigned by the organization.
• Provide health & nutrition hygiene education and IYCF counselling to pregnant and lactating women
• Ensure accurate record keeping of all activities according to data collection templates
• Ensure safe storage and handling of medicines and equipment
• Perform any other duties not listed in the JD but requested by Line manager and Health supervisor.

Education: Diploma in Midwifery is required, bachelor’s and master’s degree preferred, or equivalent education in the relevant field.

Relevant experience:

• At least 3 years’ experience in the field of midwifery programs is required.
• BEmONC/CEmONC training and experience or equivalent.
• RMNCH training.
• Family Planning training and counselling experiences.
• Previous experiences working in midwifery programs.
• Good organization, planning and skills are necessary.
• Experience in working in the remote areas with mobile team setup.
• Knowledge of intervention area is a plus.
• Ability to manage working environment according to local culture.
• Develops and promotes effective collaboration within and across units to achieve shared goals and optimize results.
• High flexibility in deployment, possible with Mahram.
• Continuously seeks to learn, share knowledge, and innovate.

Languages: Fluent in Pashto -oral and written skills is essential. Good English – oral and written skills and

Good Dari – oral and written skills is desirable.

Computer: Working knowledge in MS word and excel is required.

Other skills:

• Ability to work in a team and coordinate tasks and responsibilities.
• Ability to organize people in an orderly way and prioritize tasks.
• Good listening and counselling skills, patient, and kind attitude.
• Highly motivated to provide high quality services to beneficiaries of poor communities in a challenging setting.
• Good problem-solving skills with a solution-oriented attitude.
• Flexible and willing to perform other tasks as required.
• Respectful and kind with other staff, beneficiaries, and communities.
• Willingness to travel, work and live in a rural setting, and to behave in a manner appropriate to a conservative culture.
• Willingness to learn and develop further.
• Honest in dealing with beneficiaries and Medair staff.

Interested applicants should apply and forward their applications through the online JOB APPLICATION FORM which can be found under the submission email. The link should be copied, pasted, and opened on a new page.

Note: Please indicate the position title and vacancy number in your application letter. Applications received after the closing date or without the exact position title and vacancy number will not be given consideration. After submitting the online application, if some applicants do not immediately receive an automatic email from Medair, they shouldn’t worry about their submission. When you open the link. please use the dropdown menu and choose the title of the position.