Career Opportunity: Health Officer at Malteser International
Are you a dedicated healthcare professional passionate about making a tangible difference in humanitarian crises? Malteser International, a globally respected non-governmental organization, is seeking a qualified Health Officer to join its response team in Maiduguri, Nigeria. This vital role focuses on frontline intervention, outbreak response, and local capacity building to manage and prevent cholera outbreaks.
About Malteser International
Malteser International is the humanitarian relief agency of the Sovereign Order of Malta. With headquarters in Cologne, Germany, and New York City, USA, the organization works alongside an international network of 27 national associations and priories. This collaborative infrastructure allows Malteser International to deliver rapid, efficient, and life-saving aid to communities experiencing crises across the globe.
Key Responsibilities
As a Health Officer, you will provide critical clinical and organizational support. Your core responsibilities will include:
- ORP Supervision: Oversee the daily operations of assigned Oral Rehydration Points (ORPs) to ensure full compliance with national cholera treatment protocols.
- Patient Assessment & Care: Assess and treat patients suffering from acute watery diarrhoea and cholera. You will administer Oral Rehydration Salts (ORS) for mild cases, stabilize critical patients, and coordinate timely referrals to Cholera Treatment Centres (CTCs).
- Infection Prevention and Control (IPC): Maintain strict IPC standards, including promoting proper hand hygiene, ensuring correct PPE usage, executing proper environmental cleaning, and managing medical waste safely.
- Community Engagement: Deliver key health education on water, sanitation, hygiene (WASH) practices, and early treatment-seeking behaviors.
- Logistics & Inventory Management: Track, manage, and replenish stocks of ORS, Zinc, PPE, and other medical consumables to prevent shortages.
- Data & Reporting: Support disease surveillance systems by keeping accurate clinical records, writing periodic reports, and collaborating with local health authorities.
- Safeguarding & Ethics: Adhere strictly to Malteser International's safeguarding policies, including Protection from Sexual Exploitation, Abuse, and Harassment (PSEAH).
Requirements and Experience
The successful candidate will meet the following criteria:
- Education: Bachelor's Degree in Nursing (B.NSc.), Public Health, or a related clinical discipline, with valid professional registration.
- Professional Experience: A minimum of three (3) years of experience in humanitarian or public health programs, with hands-on experience in cholera response, emergency health, or infectious disease control.
- Additional Training: Prior training in cholera case management, IPC protocols, or Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (IDSR) is highly desirable.
- Tools & Systems: Proficiency in standard office applications, specifically Microsoft Word, Excel, and Outlook.
- Language Skills: Fluency in English is required; speaking Hausa and/or Kanuri is considered a significant asset.
- Location & Flexibility: Based in Maiduguri, with frequent travel to project sites. Candidates must be willing to work flexible hours, including weekends and holidays, during emergency outbreaks.
Method of Application
Interested and qualified? Go to Malteser International on jobs.malteser-international.org to apply