Job Description

Program Assistant, Maternity Waiting Home Pilot Program, Gowa, Indonesia

Company Overview:

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Project Overview and Role:

Primary Duties and Responsibilities:

Background:

One initiative that the Government adopts to help reduce mortality rates is the launch of Maternity Waiting Homes (MWHs). The goal is to ensure that in any emergency situation, pregnant women, particularly those who are at high-risk of experiencing complications, are within an accessible distance from a health facility and are able to receive health care and deliver safely. By having an MWH with trained health care providers and linkage to a network of health care facilities, the possibility of danger signs going undetected is lower, and pregnant women from remote places with limited access to a health facility or midwife service will not need to travel a great distance in order to receive appropriate care.
MWH is a key component of a “bridging the geographic gap” strategy that aims to reduce the maternal and neonatal mortality rate in rural areas where access to better-equipped health facilities and services in urban areas is limited. Furthermore, several MWHs are established with a broader objective, which is not just to reduce maternal mortality rate, but to also improve maternal and neonatal health. Considering that utilization of MWH service hinges on its ability to effectively identify high-risk pregnant women, ensuring a continuum of maternal care, starting at the community level, is essential. This includes screening of pregnant women, providing them with health education and information about healthy pregnancy and good nutrition for pregnant women and their newborn babies. Transportation service can also be provided for women who need to arrive at an MWH a few days before their expected delivery date. During their stay in the MWH, as well as within the community, women will receive valuable information about a healthy lifestyle, as assets whose fruit can manifest into safe delivery in a qualified facility, reduced risk of malnutrition and stunting among women and children.
Gowa District Health Office currently manages 10 (ten) MWHs and is finding it difficult to ensure that each MWH is staffed with personnel on standby 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, maintain an updated record of pregnant women, specifically those who are at high-risk, and guarantee access to appropriate care. Stakeholders in Gowa also recognize the importance of providing the community information about pregnancy, delivery and postnatal care, and promoting a healthy lifestyle. Partnership with a private sector partner through Public-Private Partnership (PPP) can potentially be an innovation needed to overcome human resources and management limitations, provide services across a continuum of maternal health care, help the public sector achieve the minimum service standard (SPM) target through scaled prevention interventions, and save mothers and newborns’ lives.

The vision in establishing an MWH+ (plus) in this pilot activity is for the MWH to:

• not merely function as a shelter, but to assume a greater role in mitigating high-risk pregnancy through upstream activities, antenatal care promotion, also downstream lifesaving activities and postnatal care.
• focus on health education and promotion activities consisting of antenatal care, delivery attendance, and postnatal care, nutritional management and family planning so that pregnant women can have good delivery outcomes, and children receive proper nutrition as a strong foundation for a healthy growth.
• provide a safe environment that is accessible to pregnant women and their families, also improve the living environment of pregnant women, postpartum women, and their children through provision of information on nutrition, clean water and environmental health.
• provide high-quality health service across the continuum of care through collaborative work with midwives and community-based health workers or traditional birth attendants / cadres. Provide training together with the District Health Office / Puskesmas to equip health workers with the tools that they need to raise community awareness, effectively identify risks and emergencies, and link pregnant women to suitable care.
• work with relevant public health facilities and health offices so that MWH services and community outreach activities can effectively contribute to reducing maternal mortality and improving maternal and child health.
• leverage technology to put in place a real-time monitoring and referral system.

The MWH will be managed through a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) scheme. The program has a public infrastructure element, but the most important and impactful part of the program is the non-infrastructure intervention (namely training of health care providers, prevention activities and health education for pregnant women, as well as community outreach). The MWH program consists of 4 (four) key components.

• Construction/refurbishment and provision of supplies for an MWH located close to a health facility that is able to handle complicated childbirths.
• Staffing and running the MWH, which include monitoring pregnant women, prevention interventions, health promotion and education, recreational activities, meals and laundry services.
• Recruitment and training of community-based health workers to conduct sensitization, screening and referral activities. Coordinate with facilities within the health system to refer pregnant women in the community to the MWH, and to a health facility using an ambulance.
• Outreach program to the community in high-risk areas with a potentially high mortality rate.

Tasks and Responsibilities:

• Monitor and manage the MWH+ in coordination with MWH+’s staffs and the Gowa District Health Office.
• Establish networks with related Puskesmas and District Hospital (RSUD) as directed by the Gowa District Health Office, particularly during pregnancy emergencies.
• Design an activity program for pregnant women who utilize MWH+ services, including pregnancy-related activities, pregnancy exercise class, and health education sessions.
• Ensure that pregnant women receive the best, complete and safe care during their stay at the MWH+.
• Ensure the MWH+ carries out its function and role effectively and is well-maintained.
• Manage data of incoming, outgoing, and back referral of pregnant women.
• Support the implementation of outreach activities that have been designed and planned.

Required Qualifications:

• An Associate Degree (D3 = High School + 3 years) in Public Health or Community Development. Priority will be given to a health worker.
• Resident of Gowa to facilitate easier monitoring of MWH+.
• Demonstrated familiarity with the concept of MWH and Outreach, also experience in managing a shelter or community center.
• Experience with data collection and management, primarily in operating computers.
• Good health, and demonstrated a high level of initiative for designing activities, problemsolving, and actively working to achieve targets.
• Ability to communicate with MWH+’s target groups, local stakeholders; excellent multi-sectoral coordination skills.

Selection Criteria:

Tasks and Responsibilities (50%)

• Design an outreach method to effectively reach out to the community in areas within Gowa District as determined by the District Health Office.
• Develop an outreach plan for a period of 6 (six) months for implementation during the MWH+ pilot project in Gowa District.
• Collect materials that will be needed to implement the outreach method.
• Determine an outreach target and data that will be collected during outreach activities.
• Document the achievements and pregnancy cases encountered during outreach activities.

Qualifications (30%)

• Resident of Gowa, South Sulawesi.
• Demonstrated familiarity with the Gowa District Health Office catchment area and the location of MWHs.
• Knowledge and experience of being involved in an MWH program.
• Experience in designing and carrying out outreach activities.
• Bachelor’s/University Degree in health or socio-cultural-related field.
• Good health and ability to conduct field work.
• Ability to prepare field reports and collect MCH data from the local area.

Cost (20%)