Uganda: REGIONAL MEDICAL ADVOCACY ADVISOR, KAMPALA (UGANDA) (M/F)

Médecins Sans Frontières, an international medical and humanitarian association founded in 1971, provides medical assistance to communities faced with crises endangering their survival. These crises typically take the form of armed conflict but also include epidemics, natural catastrophes and even exclusion from healthcare. The French section of MSF is present in some thirty countries worldwide.

MSF is currently looking for a :

REGIONAL MEDICAL ADVOCACY ADVISOR, KAMPALA (UGANDA) (M/F)

CONTEXT

In each of the following countries: Kenya, Malawi, Uganda, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, OCP is implementing at least one vertical HIV project. Besides those projects, OCP is also implementing other projects dedicated to one medical topic: SGBV, DRTB and medical emergencies in Nairobi, Measles in DRC, Malaria in Uganda, Cholera in Kenya. The latest are short term missions due to outbreaks. Other responses to outbreaks or other vertical projects might arise in the near future.

The HIV projects are middle or long term projects that are mainly aiming at bringing better medical care to the patients of a given zone of intervention. They are all integrated in already existing MoH health facilities (or sometimes private facilities) and are therefore highly dependent of MoH policies, guidelines and supply chains. Improving these public health strategies is often necessary to be able to improve the medical care for the patients managed in the health facilities supported by MSF, hence the importance of an advocacy strategy towards the national authorities.

By extension, these projects also aim at contributing to the improvement of clinical and public health policies in the response to the HIV epidemic in the context of East and Central Africa.

Emergency responses to a disease outbreak might also require an advocacy component, typically aiming at mobilizing additional emergency resources or at getting access to cheaper and better medication.

OBJECTIVES

Support the 5 OCP coordination teams in defining and implementing an advocacy strategy towards the national and local authorities of their respective countries in the field of HIV.

As time allows and depending on the different emergency projects in response to a disease outbreak, support the 5 OCP coordination advocacy strategy and activities in other medical fields.

The advocacy strategy should be based on an analysis of the gaps and constraints that hamper the immediate access and quality of care in the existing OCP projects. The deliverable should be achievable in a reasonable timeline (1 to 3 years).

Some objectives have already been defined at regional or national levels: access to new HIV drugs, universal access to ART irrespective of CD4, recognition and funding of counselling positions, simplification and decentralization of care in low coverage countries are the main topics of the moment.

MAIN REPONSABILITIES

• CONTEXT and TOPIC ANALYSIS

Collect and share information about the evolutions of the broad international scientific and institutional context (donors, WHO policies, international advocacy campaigns) that can impact the situation regarding the advocacy topics.

The follow-up of the context related to one given country remains the responsibility of the coordination team. The FU of the state of the medical art remains the responsibility of the medical referents in the countries and in the HQ.

Liaise with other advocacy bodies within MSF movements.

When not already existing, build up advocacy briefing papers and case studies.

Support the coordination teams in formulating advocacy strategies for their country: definition of messages, targets, tools and agenda.

Support the coordination teams in implementing the advocacy agenda: participation to key meetings and to committees like the GF Country Coordination Committee, the PEPFAR COP workshops and the national guidelines workshops.

Produce ad hoc updates and at least a quarterly report about the advances in the implementation of the strategy.

PROFILE

A minimum of 2 years’ experience in advocacy

Experience in HIV and Public Health, notably in African contexts, with a good knowledge of the African HIV context

Experience in documentation and report writing

Excellent communication skills. Analytic, assertive, diplomat and team player

Fluent written and spoken English and French

Ability to travel in the other 4 countries and to conferences and meeting elsewhere

STATUS

Based in Kampala – Uganda – with frequent travel around 40% of the time

Position to be filled asap for at least 12 months up to 2 years

Fixed term contract

Family position (with perdiem, housing, and partial coverage for education fees)

Salary status depending on your previous experience in international NGOs