For more information on the courses download the brochure.

Download the guidelines and the application form.

South Africa continues to experience challenges in meeting national and global targets in relation to health outcomes. Recently the National Department of Health launched the primary health care (PHC) re-engineering strategy, aimed at strengthening primary health care in order to accelerate attainment of government’s vision for ’A long and healthy life for all South Africans’. PHC re-engineering is anchored on the four priority areas of the National Service Delivery Agreement (NSDA), namely, increasing life expectancy, reducing maternal and child mortality rates, combating HIV and AIDS and decreasing the burden of disease from TB, and strengthening the effectiveness of the health system.

In line with the PHC re-engineering objective of strengthening the effectiveness of the health system, the Soul City Institute for Health and development communication (SCI) will be piloting a community based monitoring project in PHC. The aim of the project is to promote increased demand and accountability of the health services, particularly maternal & child health services, through strengthening community participation and increased collaboration between the community, health services and civil society organisations. The pilot is based on a similar model implemented in India through a comprehensive framework for community based monitoring and planning. The pilot will take place in 9 districts in South Africa and the evaluation will focus on 5 of the 9 districts, namely Fezile Dabi, Ugu, Amatole, Bojanala and Francis Baard.

Objectives of the intervention:

• To provide regular and systematic information about community needs in relation to health
• To provide feedback according to the locally developed yardsticks, that are also synergised with the Office of Standards Compliance as well as the Health Information System indicators.
• To provide feedback on any gaps and deficiencies in services and levels of community satisfaction, this can facilitate corrective action in a framework of accountability.
• To enable the community to become equal partners in the health planning process. It would increase the community's sense of involvement and participation to improve responsive functioning of the public health system.

Objectives of the evaluation:

Soul City Institute seeks to appoint a service provider to conduct an evaluation of the project on the 5 pilot districts to inform scaling up the intervention and optimising its implementation in 4 additional districts. The process evaluation will seek to answer the following questions:

• How has the intervention facilitated enhanced communication between the community members and the health services?
• What structures are important in facilitating such interactions?
• What lessons can be learnt about good practice in the selection and constitution of various teams and committees?
• What are the capacity needs of the general public and various committees to effectively monitor health services?
• What is the best vehicle to deliver and strengthen these capacity needs?
• What processes and tools are necessary to increase public participation and involvement in the successful implementation of the model?
• How can efficiency be improved and the model optimized?
• Describe good practice in the selection and constitution of various teams and committees.
• Assess the capacity needs of the public and various committees to effectively monitor health services.
• Assess the efficiency of the processes, tools and reporting mechanisms.
• Assess the effectiveness of a community monitoring and accountability model in increasing demand, access to and utilisation of quality RMC health services.
• What other lesson can be learnt?

The evaluation should also document baseline information to, utilisation and quality of services in each of the 5 communities. This should focus on:

• Collecting and analysing data at district, facility and ward levels on key health service indicators using quality measurements pertaining to the 6 quality standard areas, focusing on maternal child health;
• Providing qualitative data from the community on state of services at district, ward and facility levels;
• Identifying benchmarks and indicators which can be used as a point of reference for monitoring and evaluation of the community based monitoring project

Evaluation Methodology:

It is the responsibility of the researcher to design detailed methodology to address the study’s objectives set out in this TOR. However, the study should be guided by the key principles of transparency, accountability and independence.

The successful bidder will be expected to provide a COSTED evaluation plan that clearly sets out how the study will be carried out in line with the approach and principles outlined. Such an evaluation plan should include (but not limited to) the following:

• Additional information required from Soul City and suggested information sources
• Stakeholders to be consulted and justification
• Key outcomes and processes that will be measured
• Sampling approaches
• Data collection methods and instruments
• Data analysis plan
• Suggested layout of report (contents page)
• Ethics approval—to be obtained by a recognised ethics review committee

Scope of Work:

The successful bidder will be expected to undertake the following activities:

• Review available secondary data, including literature review, key health indicators, facility level audits, formative research and local IDPs ,
• Identify any gaps in the data and collect additional data as required
• Develop and share baseline data analysis plan with SCI.
• Conduct a process evaluation of the community based monitoring project
• Produce a detailed evaluation report utilising all primary and secondary data
• Prepare and present on preliminary findings/ draft report of findings in a meeting attended by SCI staff and any other stakeholders

Deliverables, Outputs and Reporting requirements:

It must be noted that all outputs from this exercise remain the sole property of Soul City. The researcher can and may not use the report for anything other than specified in these TORs for anything unless with written permission from Soul City. All written documents will be made available electronically in Word/ Excel as well as PDF format.

Table 1: Deliverables, Outputs and Reporting requirements  

All supporting documents and secondary data (literature reviews, formative research reports and HST facility data report) will be made available to the researcher. The M&E manager will be available for consultation.

Budget & contracting:

Budget: R500 000.

Work will commence immediately and timelines will be negotiated at contracting.

All interested bidders should submit detailed proposals to viwe@soulcity.org.za no later than 24th June 2013.

The INDEPTH Data Repository is an online archive of various fully documented, high-quality datasets from INDEPTH member HDSS centres. Its goal is to enable INDEPTH member HDSSs and associated researchers to contribute and share HDSS datasets with the scientific community in support of the Network's mission. Every dataset is documented, using an internationally accepted metadata standard developed by the Data Documentation Initiative (DDI), enabling data users to quickly identify and obtain the data they require. Through the use of digital object identifiers (doi) the documentation promotes the citing of data sets by data users and facilitates the recognition of the efforts by the INDEPTH Network to make this valuable resource of population and health data for low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) available. 

What is the INDEPTHStats?

INDEPTHStats displays the longitudinal health and demographic results generated from the INDEPTH member centres in Africa, Asia and Oceania. INDEPTHStats is freely available to everyone, and will provide researchers, government officials and policymakers, among others, health and demographic information that can guide their decision-making, including crude birth and death rates, age-specific fertility and death rates, infant, child, and under five mortality rates, as well as numerous other health and demographic indicators. Additional indicators, such as death rates by cause of death, will be added in the near future. The indices can be displayed either by single centre over time, or across multiple centres.

Both initiatives will be launched on the 1st of July 2013. Download flyer.

This issue includes the following main articles:

• Thandi Puoane: PURE-ifying research on chronic non-communicable diseases in South Africa 
• Eustasius Musenge: Rheumatoid arthritis disease progression in a South African cohort: Bayesian multistate chronic disease, dynamic modelling.
• Reshma Kassanjee: 20th Conference for Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections: Highlights, and Developments in HIV Incidence Estimation 

Have a look at the website and subscribe to the magazine so that you will receive the next issue in your mailbox.

Synopsis:

An attack by a swarm of bees brings on a panic attack for Jennifer Hartley, a small-town farmer’s wife and mother of two young children. She is admitted to a psychiatric facility where she is surrounded by patients whose lives, like her own, are steadily disintegrating. Interaction between the inmates of the facility is wise and often lively and entertaining in spite of their shared mantle of mental illness.

Filtered through a highly sensitised and sensory consciousness, Jennifer Hartley’s story swings back and forth between ward life and periods of rest in her home environment. In repeated admissions to psychiatric ward care, her condition is variously described and diagnosed. The health professionals hover on the margins of this world. They are experienced by the patients of the facility as aloof and enforcers of a regimented treatment regime. There is some hope for those who suffer mental illness, however, and it is often found in unlikely places.

Author: debinixon@gmail.com Cell. 083 659 4284

Publisher: Colleen Higgs at Modjaji Publishers cdhiggs@gmail.com

Modjaji website 

Modjaji Facebook page 

Duties:

• Actively contributing to training and teaching in EBHC.
• The design and organisation of new research.
• Contributing to disseminating research results using appropriate channels, including peer-reviewed publications, conference presentations and engagement with policy makers and other healthcare decision makers.
• Contributing to the preparation of new grant proposals.
• Supervising postgraduate degree students, where appropriate.

Requirements:

• Postgraduate qualification (MSc in Clinical Epidemiology or EBHC or related degree) with a record of research demonstrated by publications in peer-reviewed journals and collaborations in peer-reviewed funded projects.
• Experience in the teaching and learning of EBHC.
• Experience in promoting the use of best evidence in decision making.
• Valid driver's license and willingness to travel
• As a prerequisite, the position requires an excellent record of collegiality and collaboration. and a comprehensive understanding of research methodologies.

Recommendations:

• PhD.
• Previous experience in conducting systematic reviews and undertaking meta-analysis.
• Previous experience in the design and analysis of research.
• Knowledge of epidemiology and experience in supporting postgraduate students.
• Teaching and training experience; excellent communication and presentation skills.
• Familiarity with evidence-based research principles and methodologies.
• The ability to collaborate effectively with people from a wide range of disciplines and to work effectively in a multicultural environment.

How to apply:

The University will consider all applications in terms of its Employment Equity Plan, which acknowledges the need to diversify the demographic composition of the staff corps, especially with regard to the appointment of suitable candidates from the designated groups.

The University reserves the right not to make an appointment.

Apply online.

Your application, comprising a comprehensive curriculum vitae (including the names and contact details of at least two referees), must reach the University before or on the closing date of the advertised post.

Applicants should request their referees to send confidential reports by the closing date directly to the following address:  The Manager: Human Rersources, Stellenbosch University (Satellite Campusus), P.O. Box 19063, Tygerberg 7505; e-mail: hrtygerberg@sun.ac.za; fax: 021 932 9266.

Candidates may be subjected to appropriate psychometric testing and other selection instruments.

Enquiries regarding job content: Dr Taryn Young on 021 938 9157

Enquiries regarding remuneration and benefits as well as technical assistance with the electronic application process: Human Resources Division (Tygerberg Campus) on 021 938 9636

Closing Date: 21-Jun-2013

Positions:

• Chief of Party          
• Senior Analysis, Monitoring & Evaluation Advisor
• Public Health Specialist
• Short Term Technical Assistance (STTA) – Health Experts

For more information on the responsibilities and qualifications download the job descriptions.

Application Details:

To apply for these positions, please email your CV to sandeep.shamasunder@axiosfoundation.org. Include the position title in the subject line. STTA applicants should also include the role(s) for which they would like to be considered. 

Closing date for applications: June 30, 2013.

Axios Foundation (AF) is a US-based public charity focused on the implementation of programs to drive access to care in the developing world. Axios Foundation engages with local stakeholders, opinion leaders, government authorities and health facility management to assess and improve local infrastructure, including hospitals and laboratories, and to manage effective supply chain management systems and disease management programs. In addition, the Foundation manages a number of international drug donation programs.

Key Responsibilities:

• To provide, develop and maintain data-bases and information systems for TB surveillance
• To investigate user requirements for TB and data and create and adapt systems to meet these requirements
• To manage and analyse all the TB data emanating from the various projects in the Centre for Tuberculosis
• To provide data management and analytical support for any other projects as requested by the leadership of the TB Centre
• Provide skills transfer to trainees and participate in teaching and supervision of students
• Directly manage and supervise a data analyst and a data entry clerk
• Ensure the quality of all the data management systems and procedures for the projects above
• Train and support all data entry clerks at the Centre for TB as required

Key Competencies:

• Bachelors degree in Science / Computer Science/ Economics / Finance / Engineering / Statics / Mathematics
• 2 years experience in a role that involved managing large database, doing relevant analysis and providing outputs
• Computer literacy and high levels of competence with data management programmes (Excel, Access, Stata, SQL etc
• Knowledge of epidemiology and static methods would be advantageous
• Good understanding of the health system in South Africa
• Excellent inter-personal and communication skills
• Problem solving skills
• Time management skills
• South African drivers license (Code B)

 (Fixed term contract –12 months)

(Payzone c3)

Salary range (R202 093.00pa – 270 853.00pa)

REF: NICDGDD0105/005

Interested persons who meet the requirements are invited to send a concise CV and application form to (Human Resources) via fax: 086 509 8505 or e-mail to nicdrecruitment@nhls.ac.za

Enquiries may be directed to Zinhle Buthelezi @ (011) 885 5404

Please indicate the reference number of the post

Reference, ITC and Criminal checks will be conducted

• Manage provincial GERMS-SA sites (labs, hospitals and clinics), staff, permissions and ethics
• Support the improvement of surveillance of communicable disease in Provinces
• Co-ordinate and manage on-site data collection from clinics and laboratories
• Manage data analysis, report-writing and dissemination for GERMS-SA outputs within the province
• Assist with grant proposals and possibly assist with the management of grants
• Assist in protocol development for GERMS projects
• Be actively involved in the writing and submission of scientific papers
• Participate in relevant internal, provincial, national and international meetings to facilitate the objectives of GERMS-SA
• Represent GERMS-SA in provincial meetings and conferences
• Advocate GERMS-SA to different stakeholders
• Strengthen the relationship between NHLS, NICD and DOH by being the liaison for all three institutions
• Provide DOH with support in outbreak investigation and response in the field, this would include close liaison with all role players including the NHLS, National Communicable Diseases Directorate of the Provincial DoH and the Communicable Diseases Units and outbreak response teams in the province
• Strengthen systems for accessing NHLS and private laboratory data for epidemiological applications with specific reference to GERMS surveillance and outbreak response
• Play a lead role in the development of laboratory-based early warning systems for outbreaks and analysis of communicable disease data generated from the CDW
• Provide field supervision and training of the SAFELTP residents for outbreak investigation, assist NHLS FELTP residents in setting up monthly reporting on diseases of public health importance diagnosed by the NHLS, and contribute to the teaching within the SAFELTP long and short courses
• Comply with any reasonable and lawful instruction issued by the manager.

Key Competencies:

• MMed (in Public Health) or PhD in Epidemiology or Public Health or Masters in Public Health or MSc Epidemiology and Biostatistics or undergraduate degree (MBBCh or BSc) with proven track record in the field with insight, experience and understanding of public health issues and systems including laboratory systems
• Field experience in infectious disease epidemiology surveillance and/or research experience
• Experience with data analysis and public health research
• Experience in working in Public Health Sector
• Knowledge of epidemiology and statistical methods
• Knowledge of and insight into laboratory practice with specific reference to the NHLS and NICD
• Knowledge of a statistical software package for epidemiological analysis, MS Access, Excell, STATA or SAS
• Leadership and management skills
• Good understanding the health systems in South Africa
• Excellent inter-personal and communication skills
• Problem solving skills
• Code 8 Drivers Licence
• Applicants may be required to write an entrance test to prove their understanding and competency in field epidemiology and statistics.

Based at Eastern Cape (Mthatha), Free State (Bloemfontein),Gauteng (Tshwane), Kwazulu Natal (Pietermaritzburg), Limpopo (Polokwane), Mpumalanga (Nelspruit), Northern Cape (Kimberley), North West (Klerksdorp), Western Cape (Cape Town).

(Pay Zone Depends On Experience)

Salary Range (R317 671.00pa – R763 517.00pa)

REF: NICD0513/002-03

Persons who meet the requirements are invited to send a concise CV and application form to (Human Resources) via fax: 086 509 8505 or e-mail to nicdrecruitment@nhls.ac.za

Enquiries may be directed to Kgaugelo Mkwanazi @ (011) 386 6090

Please indicate the reference number of the post

Reference, ITC and Criminal checks will be conducted