Director - Epidemiology and Disease Control

JOB DESCRIPTION

Applications are invited from suitably qualified and experienced candidates to fill the post of Director – Epidemiology and Disease Control which has fallen vacant within the Ministry of Heath & Child Care.

Reports To: Chief Director Public Health

GRADE: F

STATION: Ministry of Health & Child Care: Head Office

JOB SUMMARY

Responsible and accountable for the planning and operations of Epidemiology, Health Information and Surveillance, Health promotion, Communicable and non-communicable Disease Prevention and Control programs.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Coordinates and manages the development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of Health Information and Surveillance Systems.
• Provides an early warning system and a trend analysis of the health status of communities including quarterly epidemiological bulletins and annual national health profiles.
• Establishes Disease Prevention and Control Programmes, policies, strategies, goals and objectives; and periodicity reviews the relevance and adequacy of the same end taking appropriate action as necessary.
• Conducts Health surveys for baseline information and evaluates effectiveness of Health programmes
• Develops technical guidelines/manuals to standardize case definitions, diagnosis and case management for communicable disease control.
• Ensures implementation and enforcement of enacted Public Health legislation to support communicable programmes.
• Provides national leadership. coordination and management of communicable disease prevention and control programs.
• Responsible for ensuring that communicable disease prevention and control programs efficiently and effectively complement each other as well as interacting with other units and departments.
• Plans, organizes and undertakes in-service, pre-service and other appropriate training for health workers.
• Identifies high risk groups and calculates incidence coverage and mortality trends through medical demography and vital statistics.
• Establish and sustain technical advisory committees for monitoring and directing various communicable disease programs.
• Develop operational and strategic plans for control of communicable diseases and mobilise national and international funding.
• Coordinates the designing, execution and analysis of communicable disease prevention and control related operational research and contribute to the research finding dissemination and utilization,
• Coordinates National Microbiology Reference Laboratories and animal health authorities to improve the case Diagnosis and case confirmation, epidemic investigation of communicable diseases, surveillance. drug sensitivity (anti-microbial resistance)
• Ensure and promote inter-departmental collaboration and effective contribution to regional and
• international organizations
• Supervises and appraises subordinates
• Produces monthly, quarterly and annual report on communicable diseases.

QUALIFICATIONS, EXPERIENCE AND COMPETENCIES REQUIRED

• MBCHB or equivalent
• Masters Degree in Public Health or equivalent.
• Registration with the MDPCZ.
• 5 years’ experience with at least two years’ experience in the grade of DMO or three years as PMO and /or PEDCO/PMCHO

Prospective candidates will be subjected to mandatory psychometric test