Health Information Management Coordinator

Position: Health Information Management Coordinator
Reporting to: Merlin Health Cluster Co-Lead (currently Merlin CD) Working with: ACAP seconded staff, Health Cluster members, epidemiologist (consultant), Government actors, Accountability/ Communication officer, OCHA, HCT, and other clusters (WASH, Shelter/NFI Cluster)
Location: Myanmar, Yangon, with possible travel to Rakhine and Kachin State Duration: 5 months Starting Date: immediate Salary: £ 28,890 - £29,640 per annum (dependant on relevant experience), include inclusive of annual Cost of Living Allowance Benefits: Insurance cover, accommodation, annual leave entitlement of 24 days per annum rising to 30 days at the completion of 12 months of continuous employment with Merlin

Merlin

Undaunted and determined, Merlin saves lives. We deliver medical expertise to the toughest places. And we stay to help build lasting health care. Our mission is to end the needless loss of life in the poorest countries caused by a lack of effective health care. We help communities set up medical services for the long term including hospitals, clinics, surgeries and training for nurses and other health workers. We do whatever it takes and we stay for as long as it takes.

Context and Background Merlin has worked in Myanmar since 2004. Merlin’s programmes in Myanmar focus on delivering essential health care and water/sanitation programmes across several regions of the country in response to both identified acute as well as chronic health needs. Currently the programme covers 7 townships in 4 States and Divisions: Shan, Delta, Chin and Sagaing. The programmes currently support a network of over 1,400 Volunteer Health Workers who provide essential community-based health care to over 750,000 people across more than 1100 villages.

Merlin has in-country expertise of responding to emergency situations in both health and WASH sectors. To date Merlin has responded to several natural disasters affecting coastal areas of Myanmar including the Boxing Day Tsunami (2004), Cyclone Nargis (2008) and Cyclone Giri (2010).

Between May 2008 and June 2009, Merlin was the formal Co-Lead for the Health Cluster which was activated in response to Cyclone Nargis. As of the week of October 29th 2012, the escalating humanitarian crisis in Rakhine State (combined with the ongoing demands of coordination of the response to the ongoing conflict in Kachin State) is expected to lead to a reactivation of the Cluster system. Merlin has been approached by the WHO as well as OCHA to Co-Lead the Health Cluster and a formal request to Merlin to Co-Lead the Health Cluster was made on November 7th 2012.

Main purpose of the role

The main purpose of this role is to ensure all information (health resource availability, health systems performance, and health status and risks of the affected area) is timely disseminated to ensure decision making on the planning and management of response activities are well informed.

The post will be based in Yangon however occasional travel to Rakhine State and Kachin State may be required. The Health Cluster IM Coordinator will be line managed by the Health Cluster Co-lead coordinator. The appointee will however work closely with the WHO appointed Co-Lead, ACAPS and HPA seconded staff and all partners and especially the MoH under the response plan.

Overall Objectives

To work with the Health Cluster Co-lead, the postholder will be responsible for the health information system for the Health cluster (NOTE HeRAMS and EWARS Currently being set up by present postholder, whom the health IMO will take over for): • To ensure timely and accurate collection, collation, and analysis of health data from health cluster partners. o To ensure all partners are orientated, trained and contributing to the disease early warning system (EWARS). o To ensure all EWARS data is received, analyzed, reported and disseminated within the appropriate time. o To ensure all information relating to the mapping of health resources and services (HeRAMs) is received, compiled, analyzed and dissemination. • To provide summarized information for health cluster meetings, reports and proposals to facilitate rapid gap analysis and response. • Providing technical assistance to MoH and health cluster partners as required • To develop protocols for further investigations (eg. household surveys, community surveillance) as required • To implement additional data management tools if required

Responsibilities The position holder reports directly to the Health Cluster Co-Lead Coordinator. The position holder will work very closely with the Health Cluster Co-Lead Coordinator and seconded ACAPs and epidemiologist (consultant), Accountability/ Communication officer, and MoH and to ensure effective data collection, compilation and analysis.

Main deliverables:

    Establishment & maintenance of appropriate HIS system for mapping resource and service provision and gaps

    • To continue the establishment and management of the shared data resources that ensure appropriate information management systems that include: • Health Resource Availability Mapping System (HeRAMS) • To ensure the health cluster HIS system is able to: receive all HIS from cluster partners, to monitor accuracy, completeness and timeliness of data and to provide a data query system and to Support the timely collation, analysis and presentation of data available to cluster partners on central website. • To ensure all cluster partners are orientated to relevant reporting templates and reporting systems. • To coordinate training as required. • To provide regular (daily/weekly) presentations on mortality and morbidity trends, issues of concern, resource gaps. • To provide weekly and ad-hoc reports as required. • To provide recommendations on information system gaps and requirements as required.

    Establishment & maintenance of an early warning system for epidemic-prone diseases (EWARS) • To ensure all cluster partners are orientated to relevant notifiable diseases, reporting templates and reporting systems. • To coordinate training as required. • To set up systems for rapid communication and investigation from field site upwards. • To set up additional reporting systems as required. • To ensure all cluster partners are supported to collate and upload their data on to a central system for rapid collation analysis and dissemination. • To provide regular briefings on notifiable disease trends and to make recommendations for response programmes.
    • To ensure weekly reports on notifiable disease trends.

    Establishment of other systems for monitoring health status, as required • Propose, and oversee, the establishment of other health information systems to cover needs and gaps as required

    Training local partner staff in health information management and analysis • Contribute to local capacity through planning and conducting regular trainings on aspects of health information management and analysis, including design, interpretation and communication of information derived from HIS.

Person Specification Essential Qualifications, experience and competences • A Degree or Diploma in Applied Epidemiology, Health Information Systems (Medical statistics), or equivalent • Strong experience in health information systems support in an NGO or equivalent • Knowledge of database design, use and management (Skills using Access and Excel, SPSS, STATA and/or R) • Experience of data management and analysis • An understanding of, and commitment to, Cluster approaches, principles and values • Extensive experience in liaising with government/local authorities and coordinating NGOs, with excellent interpersonal, motivational and managerial skills. • Excellent analytical, writing and presentation skills • Strong communication skills, with excellent written and spoken English • Experience of establishing strong working relationships with colleagues from different functions and cultures • Experience of a flexible approach to managing and prioritising a high workload and multiple tasks in a fast paced environment with tight deadlines • Experience of proactively identifying and addressing issues • An understanding of and commitment to Merlin’s mission and values

Desirable Qualifications, experience and competences • Experience in Myanmar
How to apply:

To apply for this position To apply for this job, please go to www.merlin.org.uk/jobs and apply using our online recruitment system. In order to apply for a job with Merlin online you will need to complete a short registration process and create an account – the online recruitment system explains how to do this. Once your account has been created, you will be able to save the information that you have entered in your application and re-visit it at any time before you submit it.

If you are unable to apply online for any technical reason, please contact applications@merlin.org.uk.

Please note that we do not accept CVs. Unfortunately due to the number of applications we receive, only shortlisted applicants will be contacted.

Data Protection Please note that in accordance with the 1998 Data Protection Act, Merlin will hold and use personal information that you have given for the purpose of recruitment and employment. This information can be stored in manual and/or electronic form. This information may also be disclosed to third parties in accordance with the Data Protection Act. In cases where a job offer is conditional on ensuring that potential employees’ names do not appear on counter terrorism lists generated by the United Nations, European Union or the United States due to donor funding requirements, Merlin will use the information that you have given for checking that your name does not appear on these lists.