Midwife - Night Shift

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 Minimal Initial Service Package (MISP). The Midwife will provide RH services:  ANC, PNC, FP counselling and safe delivery planning to improve access to facility based skilled birth attendance and ensure referral pathway in place for obstetric emergencies. The midwife will work closely with the nutrition and PSS staff, to promote improved MIYCN, appropriate referral to nutrition, IYCF counselling and PSS services to support for maternal mental health.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Technical:

Maternal Care

• Monitor pregnant women admitted at the delivery room.
• Assess labor progress and identify danger signs.
• Conduct normal vaginal deliveries according to clinical protocols.
• Administer prescribed medications and treatments.
• Ensure timely referral of complicated cases.

Newborn Care

• Conduct immediate newborn assessment and essential newborn care.
• Monitor newborns for complications and initiate appropriate interventions.
• Support breastfeeding and educate mothers on newborn care.
• Maintain accurate newborn records.

Patient Monitoring and Documentation

• Record vital signs, labor progress, treatments, and outcomes.
• Complete maternity registers, delivery records, and patient files accurately.
• Prepare handover reports for incoming staff.

Infection Prevention and Control

• Follow infection prevention and control (IPC) protocols.
• Ensure cleanliness and proper sterilization of equipment.
• Safely manage medical waste according to facility guidelines.

Emergency Response

• Respond promptly to obstetric and neonatal emergencies.
• Assist other healthcare providers during emergency procedures.
• Ensure availability of emergency drugs and supplies during the shift.

Patient Education and Support

• Provide counseling on antenatal, postnatal, and newborn care.
• Offer emotional support to women and their families during labor and delivery.
• Promote family planning information as appropriate.

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 and women and provide diagnosis and appropriate treatment according to National protocols and guidelines.
• Identify patient care requirements for patients and ensure their needs are met.
• Perform investigations as available and refer for further investigations in the nearby health facility .
• Assess for potential complications, high risk patients and refer pregnant women as needed.
• Provide MIYCN through ANC and PNC in coordination with nutrition staff.
• Provide routine ANC medications.
• Check for routine ANC vaccinations (Tetanus Toxoid) and refer clients for immunization to existing EPI health facilities for EPI services as per National guidelines.
• Record all the necessary information on the existing reporting tools (registration book and card for each client) etc.
•  Inform Clients for follow up visits. 

PNC Services include:

• Provision of information to Mothers on routine postnatal visits.
• Perform physical examination including of 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 newborn/U5 children.
• Identification and manage complications of mothers and newborns during postnatal period and refer as needed.
• Provide health education on essential newborn care practice, including cord care, breast feeding, and thermoregulation, eye care and immunisation, recognition of danger signs, close monitoring of low-birth-weight infants.
• Promotion of exclusive breastfeeding for first 6 months, personal hygiene.
• Education about nutritional supplements, Postnatal vitamin A and iron supplementation for mothers, immunization of newborns and family planning counselling and services for both mother and father.
• 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 FP commodities e.g., birth control methods, devices, and supplies such as birth control pills, injectables, condoms, diaphragms, and IUDs.
• 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 daily and weekly reports as required and requested by Health Manager.

·      Conduct on the Job training to Health Assistant and NEWs based on need.

Logistics

• Ensure safe storage of all supplies, medicines and medical material and equipment.
• Ensure accurate record keeping of stock movements.
• Prepare timely stock requests and submit to logs with oversight of Nutrition Supervisor and/or Health Manager.

MAIN ACTIVITIES

• Deliver ANC, PNC, FP, safe delivery planning and referral for obstetric emergencies.
• Promote internal depatment referral.
• 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, vaccination cards of service beneficiary etc.)
• Provide health and nutrition education on breastfeeding (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.
• Ensure safe storage and handling of medicines and equipment.
• Perform any other duties not listed in the JD but requested by line manager or team leader.

Education: Minimum 2 Years Diploma in Midwifery is Required. Bachelor’s or master’s degree preferred.

Relevant experience:

• Minimum 3 Years of Experience is required in Midwifery.
• 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

Languages: Good Pashto -oral and written skills is required. Good English -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.
• 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.