Volunteer role: Obstetrician/Gynaecologist at Voluntary Service Overseas ( VSO)

VSO is the world’s leading international development charity that works through volunteers to create a fair world for everyone. At VSO we pride ourselves on doing development differently. We fight poverty not by sending aid, but by working through volunteers and partners to create long-lasting change in some of the world’s poorest regions. In 2018/19, VSO supported over one million of the poorest and most excluded people in 23 countries across Africa and Asia.

Why volunteer?

Volunteering with VSO is your opportunity to improve lives and gain unforgettable experiences. You will immerse yourself in a new culture, face fresh challenges and build new friendships whilst doing something truly fulfilling.

Role overview

The ideal person in this role will:

•Work in collaboration with the Regional Health Management Team (RHMT) to strengthen gynaecological services in targeted health facilities and improve quality of cesarean sections
•Build the capacity of medical officers, health workers and clinical leads in essential and emergency maternal obstetrics care through training, job coaching, mentoring and support supervision
•Support strengthening functioning of maternity, labour wards and level four health care facilities
•Provide technical capacity building support to health workers in conducting ultrasound scans of pregnant women (applicable for Sierra Leone)
•Plan and organise outreach MNH services with the help of care workers and DHMTs (applicable for Sierra Leone)

Disclaimer: These objectives are subject to improvement/modification after discussion with the project manager as well as the implementing partner.

Skills, qualifications and experience

Essential:

•Qualified Medical degree with specialization in Obstetrics/Gynaecology
•A minimum of 3-5 years of post-qualification work experience in Obstetrics and Gynaecology

Note: For Sierra Leone – The ideal candidate should have expert experience in ultrasound machine/V-Scan

•Qualified Medical degree with specialization in Obstetrics/Gynaecology
•A minimum of 3-5 years of post-qualification work experience in Obstetrics and Gynaecology
•Note: For Sierra Leone – The ideal candidate should have expert experience in ultrasound machine/V-Scan
•Obstetrics experience including labour management and recognition of obstetric emergency
•You are fully accredited in your home country
•You have the ability to work with limited technical resources
•You have experience in training, coaching and supervision
•Fluent English proficiency
•IT skills (Word, PowerPoint and Excel)

Countries where VSO is currently running Health programmes with Obstetrics and Gynaecology positions are Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia and Sierra Leone.

How we support our volunteers

VSO provides a support package which includes a basic living allowance, accommodation, medical cover and travel expenses. You’ll get extensive training before leaving and support from local staff when you’re overseas. When you return, we’ll help you resettle.

Some background about VSO

In the last 60 years, we have worked in over 90 countries and supported over 50 million people. We’ve gone from being a UK charity to a truly global development organisation.
Our proven approach works with volunteers of different skill sets, from overseas consultants to youth. These volunteers work alongside community organisations, local and national governments, and global partners.
Right now, VSO is bringing justice to rape survivors in Pakistan, building resilient disaster prevention and relief in Mozambique, ending stigma against children with disabilities in Ethiopia and tackling the youth skills gap in Uganda and Bangladesh.
Today over 50% of our people are recruited from within the country in which they work, and we continue to grow the share of community and national volunteers involved in our programmes. We also send increasing numbers of volunteers from one developing country to another. However, our vision has remained the same: create a fair world for everyone.

Please note that this is a generic advert. Please apply and when a specific position arises that matches your skills and availability, we’ll contact you directly.

If you’re interested in applying for this role, please download the job description for more information.