[e-drug] access vacancy in MSF-Holland

[joost.van.der.meer@amsterdam.msf.org]

E-DRUG: access vacancy in MSF-Holland
-----------------------------------------------------

With immediate effect MSF-H is looking for a

COORDINATOR PROJECT 'ACCESS TO ESSENTIAL MEDICINES' (100%)

Background

MSF's presence in the field has always been a major principle - not for the
efficient delivery of health care services - but for the identification of
the needs and struggles of the population, which MSF is trying to help.
Over the years this proximity has translated into public calls for
political action and commitment to assist victims of crisis and/or
denunciation of abuses of victims, with the aim of trying to improve their
situation.

At the same time, MSF's search for efficiency has spurred the development
of appropriate modes and methods of intervention, strategies and evolution
of guidelines and materials. MSF has managed to develop considerable know
how in medical programming, logistics and water/sanitation. Very early in
the history of MSF, our medical staff identified a need for improving the
access to quality medicines and the efficiency of treatment. The 'Clinical'
and the 'Essential Drugs' guidelines are two major examples of this early
perception of the urgent need to rationalize the use of drugs.

With increasing privatisation of the pharmaceutical sector, with
progressive withdrawal of the West from developing countries (less
investment in health care services and development of medicines) the very
drug arsenal that Doctors have at their disposal has dwindled.  The
existing drugs are old and increasingly useless and there are very few new
medicines being brought on-line.  The pharmacy sector is not interested in
investing in development of new medicines for addressing the infectious
diseases (of the tropics).

MSF has identified the following problems:
1. insufficient R&D for new drugs;
2. fluctuating production of Essential Drugs;
3. prohibitive costs of new drugs;
4. influence of globalisation on availability of drugs;
5. quality of drugs.

The idea of a public campaign that would address those issues based on our
knowledge of the real difficulties of patients to access proper treatment
(proximity) and on a demonstration through field examples that solution can
be found has been developed and pursued in the last 3 years.

A Public Campaign

In 1998, MSF International launched a three-year project with the aim of
starting a campaign for improving availability of quality essential
medicines. The MSF project is named 'Access to Essential Medicines'. An
international steering committee has been set up. A coordination team,
based in Geneva directs the project.
During the initial phase of the project it became clear that the campaign
issues are of a complex nature and therefore need thorough research and
guidance before a clear-cut message can be formulated. It also means that
much work needs to be done to make people in the organization familiar
enough with the campaign topics to be able to use all opportunities to
bring the issues to the attention of the public and relevant decision
makers.
Now, three years later the campaign has been (and continues to be)
successful in identifying a number of solutions such as new drugs and
generic alternatives as well as branded drugs for affordable prices.
However MSF field teams and their counterparts meet many practical problems
the moment they plan on making use of these alternatives. In order to be
able to move ahead, field teams and people in operations and medical
department require specialist advice and support to issues varying from
research into patent status of drugs in various countries, registration
processes of new drugs, applying for approval of exceptional use of drugs,
negotiating protocols, to negotiating reasonable prices for drugs.

Main objective of the 'Access To Essential Medicines' project is:
�        increase access to essential medicines by people in developing
countries.
Organisational position of the coordinator
�      comes hierarchically under the head of the Public Health department.
�      works under functional guidance of both the Head of the Public
health department and the Operational Director responsible for the Drug
campaign.
�      coordinates and advises on the MSF Holland campaign efforts
(cross-cutting involving various people from various departments);
�      interacts closely with operational directors and operational
advisors to integrate access issues into intervention strategy.
�      works in close cooperation with the medical department and the
communications department to connect field medical issues to higher-level
medical policy and public communication actions.
�      advises field teams on implementation of campaign related activities
�      works with all departments to support the integration and
translation of access issues into their specific tasks and
responsibilities.
�      acts as chairman of the MSF-H Campaign Steering Committee,
consisting of key persons (including the general director, operational
director, heads of communications (P/I), logistics and medical department)
from different departments. This group functions as a steering and guiding
committee within Amsterdam. Meetings with the Steering Committee are held
on an ad-hoc basis.
�      represents MSF H in the international MSF liaison working group.
Objective of the position
Overall Objective is to integrate access awareness and access activities
into the heart of MSF operations (both medical and advocacy activities) and
to provide MSFHolland input into the international campaign

�      Liaises with the field for the identification of key issues, lessons
learned in lobbying, case studies.
�      Operationalises the advances being made through application of
lessons across missions; supporting health advisors and operations advisors
and participating in the development of intervention strategies and mission
plans.
�      Coordinates and initiates the medical activities of the campaign
project in MSF by:
        - linking up of MSF-H medical programmes with the international
campaign;
        - formulating medical campaign messages for MSF-H.
�        Maintains momentum in the public communication for continued
action by political authorities and pharmaceutical companies for the
development of quality affordable medicines and their broad availability.
Description of the duties
Coordination role:
�          coordinates all activities related to the access to essential
medicines campaign;
�          works with the operational directors, the public health
department and the communications department on campaign strategies and on
the content of campaign activities for MSF Holland;

Support and advice to MSF Holland field activities:
�          advises the field teams to translate the theory of the campaign
into practice by helping identify what are the main issues, to formulate
solutions and to translate these into an action plan
�          advises field staff on practical steps related to issues such as
registration processes, patent law, applying for special authorisations and
general lobby activities in their project countries.
�          maintains up to date overviews on availability of good price
quality drugs and possible alternatives
�          Link field and office staff to the right persons in the
international campaign team for specific support
Communication, representing MSF-H and networking:
�          liaises with the project coordination team in Geneva and with
counterparts within other MSF sections with the aim to make MSF Holland
campaign activities an integral part of the international MSF campaign.
Represent MSF Holland in and contribute to the monthly international
Liaison Group meetings (face-to-face and teleconference), and other major
events;
�          gives internal briefings, presentations and prepare written
articles and documents on the ACCESS project and advances made in
collaboration with the press officer with the aim to provide MSF H office
and field staff with general campaign project information.
�          acts as one of the spokespersons on medical issues in external
communication, and represent the campaign externally when required in close
collaboration with the other members of the team;
�          translates project information and outcomes of research into
campaign messages, prepare documents for publications;
�          together with the other team members, set up and maintain an MSF
H network of relevant experts, organizations and scientific institutions
which can play a role either in advising on the campaign or as a partner in
the campaign
�          keep updated on campaign linked professional developments in
general, and keep informed on articles or other publication in the
Netherlands.

Profile
�      medical doctor, nurse, pharmacist or otherwise (para-) medical
background;
�      knowledge, experience and/or proven affinity with research and
public health (more particularly with medicines related issues) and
medical/pharmaceutical policy development;
�      communicator;
�      networker;
�      interest and experience in lobby and advocacy work;
�      able to work independently and develop new initiatives as well as
being the leader/motivator of the MSF Holland campaign team;
�      helicopter view and ability to translate strategy into operational
terms for the field;
�      willingness to spend a significant part of his/her time in the field
to advise and support projects;
�      fluency in English and preferably Dutch and French.
�      minimum commitment of 2 years

Information and application

MSF-Holland is offering a challenging and highly independent
position -based in Amsterdam- within a dynamic organisation operating
nationally as well as internationally and a two-year contract with renewal
option.
The position is ranked in scale 6 with a minimum of  Euro 2.507,- and a
maximum of  Euro 3.710,- gross per month, depending on relevant work
experience, on the basis of a 40-hour week.

If you are interested in this position and would like additional
information, please contact Lucie Blok, Head of the Public Health
Department, or Kenny Gluck, Operational Director, at Artsen zonder
Grenzen/MSF-Holland on +31(0)20-5208745 or +31(0)20-5208720. Your
application will be processed in the fullest confidence. Interviews will be
held in the first week of December 2002.

Please send your written application and up-to-date CV before 30 November
2002 to:

Ms Astrid Strijk
Personnel Advisor HRM
Artsen zonder Grenzen
P.O.Box 10014
1001 EA Amsterdam
E-mail address: astrid.strijk@amsterdam.msf.org


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