Physicians: Volunteer with CMMB in South Sudan

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Volunteer Position: Physician

Term: 6-12 Months

Locations: Nzara, South Sudan

Program Description

CMMB - Healthier Lives Worldwide is an international, faith-based NGO providing long-term, co-operative, medical and development aid to communities affected by poverty and unequal access to healthcare. For over a century, we have worked to strengthen and support communities through healthcare programs and initiatives, the distribution of medicines and medical supplies, and the placement of volunteers.

CMMB’s Volunteer Program addresses the critical need for professionals in areas that lack sufficient resources for quality preventive and curative health services, especially for women and children. Our Volunteer Program has placed thousands of practitioners around the world to help develop and implement community health interventions, work at local hospitals and health facilities, conduct clinical training for host country counterparts, and deliver essential medicines and supplies. The ultimate goal of CMMB's Volunteer Program is to support our country teams and local healthcare workers by sending volunteers that are dedicated to strengthening local health systems and supporting a pattern of sustainable development.

CMMB in South Sudan

South Sudan is the world’s newest country, achieving independence from Sudan in 2011 after a 30-year campaign and conflict. However, in 2013, an internal political dispute led to the outbreak of civil war which has continued on and off since. In August of 2022, a peace deal was signed and there are grounds for optimism that it will lead to a prolonged period of peace and development.

However, this biopic does not account for regional variation in the experience of the people since independence. The northern part of the nation has experienced the most severe impact, with significant mortality rates, many citizens being displaced, and a refugee crisis. Similar occurrences have also taken place in other areas.

St Theresa sits in the south-west of the country, in Nzara in Gbudue state, the area least impacted by the armed conflict. Whilst it has experienced issues relating to the conflict, it has escaped the debilitating effects seen in other areas. The Hospital has been able to function untouched by conflict.

Nzara and the surrounding area exists in the same topographical region as large parts of neighboring Congo and Central African Republic, with lush, fertile soil, a temperate climate and no current risk of drought or famine. It is distant from the Sahel region and other parts of the country.

CMMB’s CHAMPS areas in South Sudan serve the towns and surrounding areas of Ezo, Nzara, and Yambio. The initiative focuses on safe motherhood, child protection, safe water and sanitation, and women’s empowerment. CMMB provides HIV/AIDS care and treatment and community health workers conduct health information sessions, testing and adherence counseling. The CMMB team provides training and mentorship to local healthcare workers and water committees and manages the supply and distribution of medications and water purification tablets.

Placement Site: Nzara, South Sudan

Nzara is a town with a population, including surrounding villages, of around 100,000. It is approximately 20km from the state capital of Gbudue, Yambio, which has a population of around 300,000.

The town has no infrastructure in terms of services such as electricity, water and gas. All the services are obtained on a house-to-house level, with use of solar power and bore holes. The road network is basic, hard, impacted mud roads which perform surprisingly well during periods of heavy rain.

There are a few bars and places providing live football streams, but in essence there are no local cultural venues. There are simple marketplaces offering fresh fruit and vegetables and other basic items.

Position Summary

Physicians will support CMMB’s mission by working with local communities’ health facilities and providing expertise, capacity building, and education to local staff. You will provide health and surgical services to women and children of local communities, with opportunities to work in pediatrics, general adult medicine, HIV and TB related medicine, and gynecology. Physicians will handle responsibilities that include, but are not limited to, vaccine-related examinations and initiatives, as well as providing care for women and children from the prenatal to the postnatal period. You will ensure each case is handled with proper ethical standards and practices.

Duties & Responsibilities

Facility Based

• Volunteers work directly with hospital leadership and clinical staff on health service delivery
• Perform exams, make diagnoses, prescribe treatment, and coordinate implementation of treatment plans
• Order and interpret investigations and test results
• Administer vaccines and perform follow-up examinations
• Provide care for women and children during prenatal, natal, and postnatal periods
• Prepare and review medical records, clinical reports and correspondences
• Responsibilities include general surgery, surgical-needs assessment, and training of local staff
• Provide direct patient care for clinical patients for designated specialty
• Prescribe preoperative and postoperative treatments and procedures, preparation and treatment of the patient’s operation area
• Operate on patients to correct deformities, repair injuries, prevent and treat diseases, or improve or restore patients’ functions
• Monitor patients’ conditions and progress and reevaluate treatment as necessary

Community Based

• Participate in various outreach projects within the community setting and in coordination with care teams and CMMB staff
• Assist with the planning and implement project trainings for healthcare workers and community mobilizers

Educational Focus

• Facilitate training sessions to educate and train local staff on topics relevant to their profession and based on programmatic need identified.
• Participate in facility based continuing education and academic activities
• Provide primary health care education and preventative medicine to adults, children and families including educating patients in disease prevention and health maintenance

Operational Focus

• Function appropriately as part of care delivery team through efficient use of resources and skills, both their own and those of other provider and staff
• Record, maintain, and report data to program staff to assist with grant applications and reporting needs.
• Assist with the development of communication projects and outreach initiatives. Assess and report training, supplies and medicine needs to program staff as needed.
• Utilize quality improvement tools to develop processes that promote continuous improvement in delivery of patient care, patient outcomes or workflows
• Collaborate with CMMB Volunteer Program team to provide input on prospective volunteers during vetting process and update materials for the Field Volunteer Orientation.
• All other duties assigned

Qualifications & Skill Requirements

• Must be 21 years of age or over
• Relevant M.D or D.O
• Current, active license to practice medicine in good standing with licensing body
• Board Certification
• Completion of residency program
• Minimum 1 year of relevant experience
• Ability to administer ethical health care treatment to patients while dealing with them in a sympathetic and tactful manner
• Ability to work and live with a diverse group of professionals
• Familiarity and interest in global, public and community health issues, preventative medicine, and maternal and child health
• Willingness to endure resource-limited working conditions and evening/weekend hours
• International experience or experience working in developing countries is preferred
• Experience as a supervisor, manager, teacher, trainer and/or any relevant leadership activities is preferred
• Preference for speciality in one of the following areas:
  • maternal and child health
  • pediatrics
  • obstetrics and gynecology
  • emergency care
  • oncology
  • Infectious diseases

• Able to perform Caesarean sections
• Residency training and Board Certification in Family Medicine or Internal Medicine

Interested? Apply today!

Benefits & Conditions: Each international volunteer who serves 6 months or longer in the field receives a round-trip ticket to their placement site, housing, a monthly stipend, insurance coverage, storytelling and fundraising training, and the opportunity to contribute to vital community development initiatives for under-served populations while building a longstanding legacy for the community. Volunteers are required to share stories from the field and cover part of the cost of their placement through fundraising/contributions.


Contact & Application:

To Apply: Submit an application online at www.cmmb.org/volunteer.