Associate, Malaria Testing in Accredited Drug Dispensing Outlets, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Overview: The Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) has been working closely with the Tanzania National Malaria Control Program (NMCP) since 2007 to improve malaria case management (diagnosis and treatment), and in particular the availability of high-quality, affordable malaria diagnosis and treatment in the private health sector.

In Tanzania, malaria continues to be one of the largest contributors to morbidity and mortality; however, in recent years the prevalence of malaria has significantly declined

Declining prevalence increases the need for confirmatory blood testing, through microscopy or rapid diagnostic test, rather than clinical (symptom-based) diagnosis which was used primarily when prevalence was higher. Therefore, it is critical that affordable, reliable diagnostic tests are available wherever patients seek care for malaria or other febrile illness. Furthermore, approximately 40% of Tanzanians seek treatment for malaria in the private sector, but the private sector has significantly lagged behind the public sector in availability of both diagnosis and treatment. There is also a discrepancy between where people seek treatment for malaria and where they can access malaria testing: the first destination for many patients with suspected malaria is their local drug shop, but these shops currently are not allowed to conduct testing.

To address these challenges, CHAI has conducted a pilot study over the past year to introduce malaria rapid diagnostic tests (mRDTs) into accredited drug dispensing outlets (ADDOs). An endline survey has been completed, and the program is moving into an evaluation and possible scale-up phase, depending on the assessment of the results and the interest of the government in expanding the program. The Program Officer will be the primary point person for managing the field-related aspects of the program, advising on how it could be scaled up, and working alongside other team members to design and initiate an implementation plan.

The Associate will report to the Tanzania Malaria Program Manager.

Responsibilities:

• Become very familiar with the intervention and evaluations that CHAI has conducted in the pilot region (training and certifying ADDO dispensers to conduct mRDTs, and monitoring their performance)
• Travel frequently to the pilot sites (in Morogoro region) to supervise the progress of the study, address any challenges, and work with local government officials
• Work with the CHAI team and government officials to assess the benefits and challenges of the program, particularly those relevant to the program's expansion, and how challenges could be managed in a scale-up
• Work with relevant government agencies to determine whether and how a scale-up should be done
• Design a plan for the program to be expanded nationally
• Work with the government and relevant partner organizations to initiate the implementation of these plans
• Support other objectives of CHAI and the NMCP related to increasing access to malaria testing and treatment, and take on other tasks as requested by the Malaria Program Manager.

Qualifications: Required:

• Bachelor's degree and at least 3-4 years of post-university work experience
• Experience working in a fast-paced, results-oriented environment
• Fluent in English
• Fluent or proficient in Swahili
• Excellent communication skills, both written and oral
• Ability to handle multiple tasks simultaneously, set priorities, work independently, and consistently deliver work on time
• Strong skills in Excel and PowerPoint
• Strong work ethic and flexibility
• Ability to develop strong relationships with wide range of people
• Willing to spend extended periods of time traveling in remote areas of Tanzania

Advantages:

• Master's degree in public health, social science, business, or other related field
• Experience working in developing countries & rural areas
• Experience working with government and/or international organizations
• Experience working in public health, particularly malaria and/or diagnostic testing
• Familiarity with social science, epidemiological, or other field research, including basic statistical evaluation methods