The Billy Riordan Memorial Clinic opened in Cape Maclear, Mangochi District in 2004.
At the time there was no medical treatment available in the community of approximately 16,000 people. Men, women and children died on a daily basis from largely preventable and treatable diseases. The nearest district hospital is a one and a half hour difficult journey away and was out of reach for most villagers. Today The Billy Clinic remains the only medical care available in the area.
The clinic offers 24 hour medical services to the remote rural community on the shores of Lake Malawi. The next nearest medical facility is located 25 kilometres away at Monkey Bay Community Hospital.
They are recruiting a Clinical/Medical Director for a minimum 12 month contract.
As a charity with limited resources the available salary is 14k euros PA, the cost of living in Malawi is very low.
The immediate catchment area has a population of 18,000. There are several smaller villages in the area with no healthcare services thus the number of patients seen annually at The Billy Clinic is 19,000 to 20,000. About 50% of those seen are under the age of 15 years.
The clinic employs 40 people including administrative and domestic staff. Medical personnel includes volunteer doctors and nurses primarily from Europe, local medical staff and 3 permanent long term ex pat staff including two nurses and Dr Van Os who is the current Medical Director.
The following services are offered:
- Out-patient department offering 24 hour service.
- A small in patient unit with 15 beds. Patient care attendants, drawn from the local population, are trained at the clinic and receive ongoing training as part of CPD. A number of PCAs have subsequently trained as clinical officers and nurses having received their initial medical training at the clinic.
- Non communicable diseases clinic on day per week.
- Daily Out Patient consultations are done with 2/3 clinicians.
- There is a small lab managed by a local technician
- Under-fives feeding programme.
- An eye clinic offering cataract surgery is available 3 or 4 times per year. This programme is managed by a visiting eye surgeon from South Africa.
- Working with Baylor College of Medicine Malawi, the clinic holds ART clinics 3 days per week. HIV testing and ART follow up is done by locally trained staff.
- The Irish College of General Practitioners (ICGP) offers a four month placement programme at the clinic for its GP trainees. Prior to Covid-19 the clinic welcomed three trainees each year. It is anticipated that the programme will resume as soon as possible.
- An elective programme is offered to medical students. This has proved very popular with students from medical schools worldwide attending over the last 12 years
Job description
Clinic Director to organize and oversee people and programs at Primary Care clinic in Cape Maclear.(population 18,000 approx) Responsibilities will include supervising and directing everything from employees and budgets to patient treatments and future planning.
- Responsibility for meeting the clinic’s health programme objectives.
- Directing and supervising local staff and volunteers, including recruitment, supervision, training, evaluation and performance.
- Planning and tracking expenditure in conjunction with CEO.
- Ensuring the timely collection, presentation, analysis and distribution of monthly and quarterly health statistics
- Updating and implementation of protocols to ensure a high standard of medical and nursing care.
- Supervision of medical volunteers and medical students.
- Maintaining working relationships with District Health Officer (DHO), District Medical Officer (DMO) and other medical personnel in surrounding hospitals.
- Managing ARV clinics, supervising and maintaining accurate records in accordance with partners needs.
- Managing the bi-weekly feeding programme for clinically undernourished children.
- Overall supervision of the biannual Bilharzia treatment for 3,000 children at local primary school.
- Planning and overseeing all patient care, administrative operations and programs.
- Management and mentoring skills in addition to empathy, a desire to improve primary health care for a remote impoverished community, good communicating skills and an ability to work in a resource poor environment are essential.
A Medical Degree with some Post Graduate training, is required.