HTS and Linkage Officer at Georgetown Global Health Nigeria (GGHN)

The Georgetown Global Health Nigeria (GGHN) is the operational arm and an affiliate of Georgetown University Centre for Global Health Practice and Impact (CGHPI) in Nigeria. GGHN is a Non–profit, Non-Governmental Organization in Nigeria that promotes best practices in health care delivery and research using local and internationally adapted models to strengthen health systems.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: HTS and Linkage Officer

Location: Kano
Employment Type: Full-time

Job Overview

• This role offers a dynamic opportunity to be at the forefront of HIV case-finding efforts.
• You will be a strategic leader, overseeing the implementation of innovative testing strategies and ensuring efficient linkage to care for all positive individuals. By collaborating with healthcare facilities, community partners, and government agencies, you will play a crucial role in achieving the program goals of:

Increasing Testing Efficiency:

• You will spearhead initiatives like index testing, optimized PITC, and HIV self-testing to reach high-risk populations and expand access to high-quality HIV testing services.

Improved Linkage to Care:

• Through data analysis and root cause analysis, you will identify and address barriers to linkage, ensuring newly diagnosed individuals receive prompt ART initiation.

Enhanced Quality and Sustainability:

• You will be responsible for maintaining quality assurance standards and fostering a culture of continuous improvement, while also contributing to the development of sustainable models for HTS and linkage programs.

Work Interactions and Conditions:

• This job requires data review and analysis with high expectations for timeliness and accuracy

Responsibilities

• Work closely with the facility HTS Focal Persons, Counsellor Testers, CBO and community leaders to develop and implement targeted case-finding interventions, focusing on high-risk populations.
• Serve as resource person for the first 95, providing leadership and technical guidance for facility and community-based HTS and prevention services.
• Ensures quality HTS implementation and achievement of results and collaborates with other technical units to ensure effective teamwork
• Analyze data on testing coverage, positivity rates, and linkage outcomes to identify trends, gaps and high-risk populations and prioritize interventions for improving case finding and linkage to care.
• Provide technical supports in establishing protocols for HTS, Index testing, PrEP, HIV self-testing, and other prevention services including blood and injection safety that are consistent with national guidelines
• Builds capacity of facility personnel to better implement their role in the technical planning, management and evaluation of clinical issues related to HIV prevention program
• Work with CBOs to develop and implement community mobilization strategies to increase awareness and access to HIV testing services among priority populations.
• Work with state M&E point persons and logistics to ensure proper HTS tools role out, quality documentation, and availability of HIV testing commodities to prevent stockouts.
• S/he will work closely with the laboratory focal person in the implementation of routine HTS quality assurance, proficiency testing, and competency testing to ensure the reliability of HIV test results at all service points.
• Ensure complete linkage to the health facilities and retesting of all identified HIV positive individuals before initiating ART. Conduct root cause analysis to identify and address barriers to linkage and develop strategies for prompt linkage to ART.
• Identify and scale up efficient case-finding strategies and best practices across high yielding modalities to optimize case HIV diagnosis among sub-population.
• Conduct regular bottleneck analysis for index testing across designated facilities, and implement action plans to address identified gaps.
• Conduct regular quality assurance checks for HTS services, including pre-test counselling, informed consent procedures, and post-test counselling, and implement strategies for continuous improvement.
• Develop and implement a monitoring and evaluation plan to track progress towards achieving case finding targets and identify areas for improvement.
• Implement innovative approaches like self-testing or peer outreach to optimize case finding among sub-populations
• Maintain client confidentiality and develop strategies to reduce stigma associated with HIV testing and linkage.
• Contribute to the development and implementation of sustainable models for HTS and linkage programs.
• Work with facilities to strengthen systems that will facilitate tracing of defaulters in conjunction with community health workers and enhance linkage into care of patients

Deliverables:

• Increase Testing Efficiency through scale-up of index testing, social network testing and use of RST
• Reach the underserved population (children, adolescents, men)
• Improve Linkage of newly identified PLHIV
• Follow up with the state cluster HTS focal persons/CTs to ensure Testing at all points of services and Proper documentation in all tools including referral register and EMR
• Retesting of all positives before enrolment into treatment
• Monthly reporting of retesting outputs
• Build capacity of HCW on all areas of HTS and prevention services
• Monthly tracking of cascade of index testing.
• Quarterly review of HIVST kit distribution
• Implementation of recency at all activated points.
• Ensure quality improvement processes
• Daily review of HTS register to ensure that clients are tracked for ART initiation
• Participate in the data analysis of facility targets, indicators, cascade, etc.

Mode of Evaluation

• Monthly activity program report
• Site activity report
• Training report
• Concept paper for innovation on prevention services
• Performance objectives

Requirements and Qualifications
Education:

• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent in Nursing, Public Health, Health Sciences or related health, Medical or Social Sciences; Possession of a Master’s in Public Health is an added advantage.

Experience:

• 3+ years of experience in HIV and TB screening, counseling, testing, and linkage
• Specialized knowledge: knowledgeable in HIV/AIDS, TB, and STI or National HTS guidelines
• Experience as a community health facilitator or other HIV and TB program implementation (notably linkage to care and retention of clients in care) is desirable

Skills:

• Proficient in Excel, and word processing. Strong written and oral communication skills

Abilities:

• Strategic and analytical thinking skills, Problem-solving, multi-tasking, and prioritizing
• Interpersonal/Individual Competencies: the ability to build and maintain relations with multiple stakeholders, strong work ethic, decisiveness, and personal integrity

Application Closing Date
4th July, 2024.

Method of Application
Interested and qualified candidates should send their CV and supporting documentation demonstrating similar work experience to: [email protected] using “HTS and Linkage Officer _Kano State ” as the subject of the mail (depending on the exact location being applied for).