Country Pharmacy Manager – Nigeria – H/F

The humanitarian crisis in Nigeria’s northeast and the Lake Chad region is one of the most severe ongoing crises in the world, now entering in its ninth year and shows no sign of abating. In 2018, at least 7.7 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance in the worst affected states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe, while more than 1.6 million people remained internally displaced in these three states in November 2017. 86% of internally displaced persons (IDPs) do not believe that the current context allows for a safe and dignified return, and nearly 1 in 4 IDPs have expressed their intent to settle in their current place of displacement instead of returning (OCHA HRP 2018).

An estimated 440,000 children under the age of 5 are malnourished across the 3 most-affected States (HRP, February 2018), while 47% of them are in Borno State (207,521 SAM children, HPC Nutrition Figures, November 2017). Furthermore, The Nigerian Cadre Harmonisé (November 2017) states that in Borno State alone 1,575,414 individuals were facing critical food insecurity. The Maiduguri Metropolitan Center (MC) and Jere Local Government Authority (LGA) are still categorized as “in food crisis” by the IPC (Integrated Food Security Phase Classification).

In 2017, ALIMA continued to implement projects in Muna Garage in Jere LGA, where ALIMA performs general consultations for children under 5 and provides Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) to pregnant and lactating women (antenatal and postnatal consultations). ALIMA partners with UNFPA to manage victims of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV). An Outpatient Therapeutic Feeding Program (OTP) is also available for children under 5 suffering from severe acute malnutrition (SAM) in the clinic, where women and caretakers are trained to screen their children for malnutrition using the MUAC tape.

In Maiduguri MC, where ALIMA is working in partnership with the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH), the Inpatient Therapeutic Feeding Center (ITFC) manages children under 5 suffering from SAM with medical complications in a 30-bed capacity building.

In the same way, ALIMA has continued working in Monguno in 2017 in 5 IDP camps (GGSS, GSSS, GDSS, Kuya, and Waterboard), in local host communities (Gana Ali, Abari, Bakassi) and in the Maternal and Child Health Center (MCH). In Monguno, ALIMA was the lead agency for the nutrition sector. In the IDP camps and in the host communities, ALIMA delivers primary health care and OTP to children under 5. In the MCH, ALIMA provides sexual and reproductive care including Basic Emergency Obstetric and Newborn care. Based in Monguno, a rapid response team conducted an emergency intervention in Baga and Doro towns (Kukawa LGA) in November 2017 to provide emergency OPD, OTP and SRH in 2 sites. The emergency team also responded to cholera outbreak from August to November 2017 in Maiduguri and Monguno, joining its efforts and coordinating its actions with the State Ministry of Health and partners.

In Katsina, ALIMA launched an intervention in Kaita LGA on 07/21, given the magnitude of the nutrition crisis in NW Nigeria. In this LGA, ALIMA is supporting the SMoH in 10 wards, to ensure prompt management of SAM and OPD consultations to CU5. In addition, ALIMA supports ambulatory management of SAM, as well as referrals. In Kaita Comprehensive Healthcare Centre, ALIMA set up an ITFC/IPD to provide inpatient care to CU5. 90 hospitalisation beds were made available. ALIMA provides the ITFC/IPD with medicines/HR/medical equipment to ensure the provision of inpatient care to SAM cases with complications and paediatric emergencies. 29854 SAM children have been treated in 2022 in the Kaita program and 2162 complicated cases were managed at the ITFC. in the same year 35438 CU5 OPD consultations have been performed and 4906 paediatric emergencies admitted in Kaita IPD. For the 2023 1st semester 12002 SAM children were admitted and 1012 complicated cases, during that period 19603 CU5 OPD consultations have been done and 1082 childrens admitted in IPD.  In this LGA, ALIMA also trains caregivers to screen their children, and conducts screening in communities to strengthen early detection of SAM. ALIMA recently extended its Katsina medico-nutritional operations to crisis affected populations of Batagarawa and Katsina LGAs. This new project will also deliver comprehensive primary health care services including sexual and reproductive health and mental health and psychosocial support to IDPs and host populations in the targeted areas.

Mission Location:Nigeria, FCT, Abuja

Project:Abuja Coordination

Level 3: As part of his/her duties, the incumbent will visit programs and be in contact with children and/or vulnerable adults. Therefore, a criminal record check or a certificate of good conduct will be required. In situations where it is not possible to provide a criminal record or a certificate of good conduct, a declaration on honour will be requested.

·Reports to the medical coordinator

·Refers to the pharmacist technical referent in HQ.

·Supervises the mission pharmacy assistant.

The Country Pharmacy Manager is responsible for analysing the need for medicines and medical equipment, and ensuring the quality of the products used and their availability in the field.  

1.Ensure proper management of medicines throughout the mission

2.Bridging our activities with medicines issues in relation to national pharmacy policies

3.Reinforce capacity Strengthen skills of the HR of our pharmacies as well as those of the supported health structures

1. General supervision of pharmacies Country

·Provide technical support in the organisation of distribution units (project stock) and consumption units: layout of premises, storage and classification of products, storage conditions, hygiene, etc. 

·Implement and supervise the appropriate use of pharmacy management and monitoring tools (stock sheets, order sheets, Saga stock, Saga stock reporting, etc.).  

·Ensure regular monitoring, completion/filling and emergency trunks/kits according the emergency response strategy of the mission. 

·Ensure that the cold chain is maintained in accordance with ALIMA standards. 

·Ensure monthly monitoring of stock status (risk of shortage, shortage, overstock, dormant stock, products close to expiry, inventory discrepancies) and provide feedback of monthly pharmacy reports to the medical coordination

·Travel regularly to projects to provide support to the medical department on all the issues related to pharmacy.

2. Managing the supply of medicines and equipment

·Ensure the existence and proper functioning of a supply circuit for medicines and medical equipment from the supply centre to dispensation to the patient. 

·Draw up internal medical orders: both in terms of periodicity (considering geographical, security, operational and financial constraints) and needs (based on average monthly consumption analysed with stock rotations and epidemiological factors). 

·Define the medication circuit in accordance with the requirements of the donors.

·Ensure a clear and coherent circuit/distribution system between the different units (distribution/consumption), including the assignment of responsibilities among the staff involved. 

·Encourage communication and information sharing on project stocks, pharmacy management and activity monitoring. 

·Collect and record all data and indicators for the mission reports (monthly, quarterly, annual). 

·Monitor current and theoretical consumption (according to the Saga stock) and in the elaboration, consolidation, planning and follow-up of international medical orders, including the budgeting part with finance and logistics, as well as to take the necessary measures in case of delays in delivery, risks of stock-outs, etc. 

·Prepare applications for import authorization (for products requiring one) and supervises the obtaining of authorization from national authorities and assists logistics, if necessary, in the customs clearance procedures for medical orders. 

·Ensure that the final version of the orders is transmitted to the fields (deadlines, quantities, etc.). 

·Follow up on orders in progress (reception, backorders). 

3. Management of distribution units (project pharmacies) 

·Ensure correct storage and identification of items according to ALIMA standards.  

·Ensures the correct use of the stock cards (entry/exit/inventory/signature at each line etc.). 

·Supervise and/or participate in regular (quarterly/before end of lease contracts/and always before order picking) comprehensive and mandatory physical inventories.

·Prepare a stocktaking report (with an initialled and archived copy) after completion and take advantage of it to value the stock. 

·Ensure that the following are kept up to date

·the register of psychotropic drugs and narcotics 

·the register of expired products 

·Track monthly donations, loans and repayments of proceeds between projects or to third parties. 

·Ensure the follow-up of the expiry dates of items, the state of completion and the rotation of emergency trunks, first aid kits and pharmacies in the offices and/or expat houses according to the respective pre-established periodicity. 

4. Country support 

·Stay properly informed about national import regulations and any possible changes in procedures. 

·Be aware of national standards for the destruction of perishable medical items and to advocate for the adequacy of international standards. 

·Communicate regularly with logistics, administration and finance on medical supplies. 

·Implement the information, validation and reporting circuit within the medical supply chain in conjunction with the Medical and Logistics Department.

·Set up regular meetings to improve communication and the information sharing that is essential for operations. 

·Report to the Medical Coordination (at least monthly and whenever considered necessary) the situation of the pharmacy: state of location, expiry of medicines, consumption, prevention of stock shortages, etc. by means of the monthly pharmacy report 

5. Capacity building and team building 

·Define, with the help of the direct managers of the people concerned, the training needs of the teams involved in the management of the pharmacy, in line with the objectives of the project. 

·Provide continuous pharma training for supply chain and stock management to project Health Unit staff on the ALIMA Pharma SOP’s and GDPs

·Assists in the assessment of the technical and managerial capacities of staff involved in the management of pharmacies.

·Provide support supervision to pharmacy technicians and dispensers to ensure proper management and reporting of medical drugs and supplies.

·Provide technical guidance to pharmacy officers to assess staff needs, identify gaps, and adapt plans/activities.

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