WHO – World Health Organisation is Recruiting Male Circumcision Staff (2024)
Closes 12 March 2024
WHO – World Health Organization was established on 7 April 1948, and held its first meeting on July 24 of that year. The WHO was created to coordinate health affairs within the United Nations system.
WHO’s emblem was chosen by the First World Health Assembly in 1948. It consists of the United Nations symbol surmounted by a staff with a snake coiling round it. The staff with the snake has long been a symbol of medicine and the medical profession.
WHO’s constitution states: “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”.
WHO is an organization of 194 Member States. The Member States elect the Director-General, who leads the organization in achieving its global health goals.
Background:
Voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC) has been shown to reduce men’s risk of HIV infection by about 60% compared with those who delayed circumcision. In 2007, WHO and UNAIDS recommended that VMMC should be part of a combination HIV prevention strategy for the prevention of HIV in men in settings with high HIV prevalence.
South Africa had an estimated 7.8 million people living with HIV by the end of 2020 (UNAIDS, 2020). The fifth generation National Strategic Plan for HIV, TB and STIs 2023-2028 (NSP)’s primary goal is to reduce the incidence of new HIV infections in South Africa using combination prevention approaches.
In recent years, South Africa has seen a decline in HIV incidence, attributed to a combination of interventions including the aggressive implementation of the Medical Male Circumcision (VMMC) programme. At the end of 2020, the National VMMC programme in South Africa had circumcised just above 4.8 million men, supported by PEPFAR and the RT35 contracts.
Summary of Responsibilities
- The service provider is expected to work closely with NDOH and WHO and do the following:
Provide guidance and technical support to SA National department of health in activities that will promote safe and effective VMMC programming - Works with DOH in strengthening oversight in the implementation of quality VMMC services
Support development of VMMC policy and guidance
Supports NDOH in ensuring high quality standards for the VMMC services, including monitoring of adverse events - Assist and support preparations for the VMMC EQA at provincial, district and site levels, and support implementation of recommendations from the EQA, and share lessons learnt
Support the provision of quality health services to men and boys across the life course, within the VMMC programme - Assist and support with the follow-through of site-level performance improvement plans where appropriate
- Support timely compilation of the required technical and project reports with regards to activities carried out by the WHO office within VMMC programme
Any other duties as assigned by the South African HIV technical officer
Monitoring the quality of VMMC service provision is key to the success and scale-up of the VMMC program. In 2019, the National Department of Health (NDOH) conducted its first External Quality Assurance (EQA), with technical assistance from the World Health Organization (WHO), funded by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in South Africa.
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Education and experience Essential:
A Degree in Health Science, or equivalent with a master’s in public health
Minimum 3 years’ experience implementing public health programs and working with various stakeholders
2 years’ Experience and knowledge of HIV and VMMC programming
2 years’ Experience working with the Department of Health
Knowledge of quality assurance (QA) principles in general
Demonstration of good writing skills
Demonstration of understanding of VMMC policy in SA
Desired
Master’s degree in public health
Use of Language
Expert knowledge of English
Proposed period: 12 months, renewable based on the availability of funds
