The Clinton Health Access Initiative, Inc. (CHAI) is a global health organization committed to our mission of saving lives and reducing the burden of disease in low-and middle-income countries. We work at the invitation of governments to support them and the private sector to create and sustain high-quality health systems.

CHAI was founded in 2002 in response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic with the goal of dramatically reducing the price of life-saving drugs and increasing access to these medicines in the countries with the highest burden of the disease. Over the following two decades, CHAI has expanded its focus. Today, along with HIV, we work in conjunction with our partners to prevent and treat infectious diseases such as COVID-19, malaria, tuberculosis, and hepatitis. Our work has also expanded into cancer, diabetes, hypertension, and other non-communicable diseases, and we work to accelerate the rollout of lifesaving vaccines, reduce maternal and child mortality, combat chronic malnutrition, and increase access to assistive technology. We are investing in horizontal approaches to strengthen health systems through programs in human resources for health, digital health, and health financing. With each new and innovative program, our strategy is grounded in maximizing sustainable impact at scale, ensuring that governments lead the solutions, that programs are designed to scale nationally, and learnings are shared globally.

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In India, CHAI works in partnership with its India registered affiliate William J Clinton Foundation (WJCF) under the guidance of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) at the Central and States’ levels on an array of high priority initiatives aimed at improving health outcomes. Currently, WJCF supports government partners across projects to expand access to quality care and treatment for HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis, tuberculosis, COVID-19, common cancers, sexual and reproductive health, immunization, and essential medicines.

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Project Background:

WJCF, with support from Stop TB Partnership will be implementing Project iLIFT (integrated Lung Health Initiative For Tribals) in Korba district of Chhattisgarh, a state with 40.9% tribal population (as per census 2011). This tribal region faces a challenge against respiratory issues and limited healthcare access, making it a crucial target for integrated lung health initiatives.

Korba is a major contributor to India’s coal production, accounting for 16% of the national output (as per Ministry of Mines). The exposure to coal dust and silica has a significant association with respiratory ailments such as Asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). Additionally, Korba has a significant beedi rolling community, with 90% of the workers being women who earn an average daily wage of $5. This community experiences alarming rates of respiratory issues and TB-like symptoms.

Despite the existence of comprehensive guidelines for managing TB and COPD/Asthma, the implementation remains challenging. The separation of TB and COPD/Asthma programs into different health verticals has hindered the delivery of integrated Lung Health solution

To address the above, Project iLIFT takes a two-pronged approach to bridge the gap between community and facility care. Under the program, health camps will be organised in the community with the health staff to provide individuals integrated screening of Tuberculosis (TB), Chronic Respiratory Diseases (CRDs) like COPD, Asthma, and lung cancer, alongside Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) such as Diabetes, Hypertension and Sickle Cell Disease (SCD).
On the public health care facility end, health facilities will be strengthened by empowering existing healthcare infrastructure by training key personnel, deploying Computer-Aided Diagnosis (CAD), and spirometers at sub-district levels, and institutionalizing necessary assessment tools at HWC (Health & Wellness Centre) for identification and referral of high-risk patients. Improving referral pathways and streamlining sample collection/transport will further enhance diagnostic capabilities.

The project will be executed in close collaboration with state-level TB, NCD, and SCD programs and will build on existing community screening initiatives to reinforce the health system. By integrating disease management and working alongside general health staff, the project seeks to generate local evidence that can drive greater state-level support, ensuring the sustainability and scalability of the project’s outcomes.

Position Overview:
WJCF is seeking a highly motivated, results-oriented individual with demonstrated stakeholder management and leadership skills. The Medical Officer (MO) will report directly to the Project Manager based in Delhi and will work closely with the Korba team to monitor camp operations and manage stakeholder relationships with government health professionals.

The ideal candidate must have knowledge of the public health space and have experience of working in the development sector. Excellent communications skills. We place great value on relevant qualities such as resourcefulness, responsibility, tenacity, energy, and work ethic.

• In close coordination with the central team at Delhi, lead the operations team in Korba to implement Project iLIFT, through strong program management and ensuring implementation of programmatic strategies and achievement of program objectives
• Develop strong relationship with the respective state (MD-NHM, STO, STDC, State NCD Dept) and district (CMHO/DTO) officials for the effective and coordinated implementation of project activities
• Engage and facilitate necessary support for availability of drugs, diagnostics and necessary manpower support required for the project interventions
• Assist the central team in developing and overseeing the project’s implementation and supervision strategy.
• Align the implementation to the project’s monitoring & evaluation framework and ensure coverage of each project component and all project indicators
• Contribute to developing and implementing a strategy for synthesizing and disseminating key results, programmatic lessons learned, and other project outputs
• Identify training needs; plan, design, and conduct training programs, workshops, meetings, and campaigns in coordination with the central team.
• Conduct regular program reviews and provide guidance to the District Supervisor to overcome implementation challenges.
• Represent WJCF and the project at the state and district level and guide the district supervisors to address implementation challenges
• Develop field level strategies in alignment with overall project objectives and ensure communication and process adherence by the field teams
• Prepare and submit detailed reports; participate in national and state-level reviews as required by the project.
• Regularly analyse the data captured in the MIS and provide a summary of findings and recommendations while ensuring data quality. Work with the project and field teams to address gaps, if any.
• Facilitate the timely hiring of field implementation staff for the project.
• Offer technical and tactical support to enhance the quality of project implementation.
• Advocate with states and district officials on the results and lessons from the project and drive decisions on scaling up such activities
• Cultivate strong working relationships with key stakeholders, including government officials, donors, and NGOs, to ensure optimal coordination of resources and efforts.
• Coordinate with academic institutions or other implementing partners for leveraging relevant data for program monitoring.
• Perform additional responsibilities as required.

• Must be a Registered Medical Practitioner (holding registration with a State Medical Council after completing an undergraduate medical course at a recognized institution authorized by the Medical Council of India).
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in the public health sector.
• Experience in working with State Ministries/departments and its partners including large, funded donor projects.
• Experience in designing and implementing new operational initiatives from project initiation to final stages.
• Experience in managing and building capacity across the project stakeholders
• Proven experience in working with state ministries or departments and their partners, particularly within large donor-funded projects.
• Proficient in MS Office applications.
• Demonstrated ability to build and maintain successful collaborative relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
• Prior experience working with national TB or NCD programs is advantageous.
• Experience of working in Chhattisgarh is preferred.
• Should be willing to travel extensively for project purpose.