Midwife

Job Description

Title: Midwife

Company Name: Partners in Health and Development (PHD)

Vacancy: --

Age: At least 22 years

Job Location: Cox`s Bazar, Cox`s Bazar (Teknaf)

Salary: --

Experience:

• At least 2 years

Required Qualifications

• Diploma in Midwifery from a recognized institution or
• Bachelor of Science in Midwifery (B.Sc. Midwifery) from a recognized institution.
• Valid registration with the Bangladesh Nursing and Midwifery Council (BNMC).

• At least 2 years

• Age At least 22 years

Experience

• Minimum 2 years of professional experience as a Midwife is preferred.
• Experience in labour and delivery, ANC, PNC, essential newborn care, and emergency obstetric referral.
• Experience in a hospital, UHC, maternity facility, or other relevant health facility preferred.
• Experience working in hard-to-reach, island, humanitarian, rural, or emergency settings will be an advantage.

Partners in Health and Development (PHD)

House # SWD 12/A, Road # 8, Gulshan 1, Dhaka 1212

MOMENTUM Integrated Health Resilience (MIHR) Project

Project: MOMENTUM Integrated Health Resilience (MIHR) Project

Duty Station: Project-supported health facilities, Cox’s Bazar District / Teknaf, including hard-to-reach areas

Reports To: Medical Officer / Facility In-Charge / Upazila Coordinator

Project Background

Partners in Health and Development (PHD) is implementing the MOMENTUM Integrated Health Resilience (MIHR) project to strengthen maternal, newborn, child health and nutrition (MNCH-N) services and health system resilience in fragile and hard-to-reach areas of Cox's Bazar. The project has been working in geographically challenged and hard to reach areas with limited access to timely and quality health services, particularly during adverse weather, sea-related transportation disruptions, and other emergencies. Women and newborns requiring emergency obstetric and neonatal care may face delays in reaching higher-level facilities.

Position Purpose

Under the MIHR project, Midwives will support the provision of quality, respectful, evidence-based maternal and newborn health services at designated facilities in hard-to-reach areas. They will also strengthen early identification of complications, emergency stabilization, referral, follow-up, and community-facility linkages. The Midwife will work closely with Medical Officers, nurses, community health workers, Government health staff, referral facilities, and community structures to ensure continuity of maternal and newborn care in this hard-to-reach island setting.

Key Responsibilities

Antenatal Care (ANC)

• Provide quality ANC services according to national guidelines and approved clinical protocols.
• Conduct comprehensive assessment of pregnant women and identify high-risk pregnancies.
• Monitor maternal vital signs, fetal wellbeing, nutritional status, and pregnancy-related complications.

Provide counseling on:

• Birth preparedness and complication readiness
• Danger signs during pregnancy
• Nutrition and micronutrient supplementation
• Birth planning
• Institutional delivery
• Breastfeeding and newborn care
• Family planning and postpartum contraception
• Ensure appropriate referral of high-risk pregnancies to designated higher-level facilities.

Normal Labour and Delivery Care

• Provide skilled care during normal labour and childbirth.
• Monitor labour using appropriate monitoring tools, including the partograph where applicable.
• Maintain respectful maternity care and ensure privacy, dignity, and informed communication with women and their families.
• Conduct normal vaginal deliveries according to national standards.
• Maintain appropriate infection prevention and control practices during delivery.
• Identify prolonged/obstructed labour and other complications at the earliest opportunity.
• Initiate timely referral and emergency stabilization when complications arise.

Emergency Obstetric Care and Stabilization

• Identify and promptly respond to maternal emergencies.
• Provide initial stabilization and referral support for complications including:
• Postpartum haemorrhage (PPH)
• Pre-eclampsia/eclampsia
• Prolonged/obstructed labour
• Antepartum haemorrhage
• Sepsis
• Retained placenta
• Severe anaemia
• Other obstetric emergencies
• Administer lifesaving interventions and medicines within the scope of professional competency and national protocols.
• Ensure timely communication with the receiving facility before referral.
• Coordinate emergency transportation and referral, particularly considering the island's geographic isolation.

Essential Newborn Care

• Provide immediate and essential newborn care following national guidelines.
• Support immediate drying, thermal protection, cord care, early initiation of breastfeeding, and appropriate newborn assessment.
• Identify newborn danger signs and complications requiring urgent intervention.
• Support neonatal resuscitation within the scope of training and competency.
• Stabilize sick newborns before referral.
• Facilitate timely referral of newborns requiring higher-level care.

Postnatal Care (PNC)

• Provide quality PNC services to mothers and newborns.
• Assess mothers for postpartum complications, including PPH, infection, hypertension, and other danger signs.
• Assess newborn feeding, temperature, weight, jaundice, infection, and other danger signs.
• Provide breastfeeding support and counseling.
• Counsel mothers and families on maternal and newborn danger signs and appropriate care-seeking.
• Ensure appropriate follow-up and referral of mothers and newborns requiring additional care.

Maternal and Newborn Referral System

• Maintain strong communication with referral facilities and designated referral focal persons.
• Use standardized referral documentation and ensure complete clinical information accompanies each referral.
• Communicate with receiving facilities before transferring emergency cases whenever feasible.
• Follow up referred cases and support back-referral where appropriate.
• Maintain accurate referral records and contribute to analysis of referral delays and outcomes.
• Immediately report referral barriers caused by weather, transportation, communication, or service availability.

Community-Level Engagement

• Coordinate with Community Health Workers and other frontline workers.
• Support identification and referral of pregnant women, high-risk mothers, newborns, and other vulnerable clients.
• Encourage early care-seeking and timely referral.

Service Continuity in Hard-to-Reach Settings

• Support continuity of essential maternal and newborn services during adverse weather and emergencies.
• Participate in facility-level emergency preparedness and contingency planning.
• Ensure essential maternal and newborn supplies are appropriately monitored and reported.
• Maintain readiness for emergency deliveries and stabilization of complications.
• Inform supervisors promptly regarding anticipated disruptions in transportation, medicine, equipment, electricity, communication, or referral services.
• Support contingency arrangements for pregnant women approaching delivery who may require referral to a higher-level facility.

Infection Prevention and Control

• Strictly follow standard precautions and infection prevention and control (IPC) procedures.
• Ensure proper hand hygiene and appropriate use of personal protective equipment.
• Maintain clean and safe delivery and examination areas.
• Ensure appropriate segregation and disposal of healthcare waste.
• Support infection prevention practices among other facility staff.

Documentation and Reporting

• Maintain accurate and complete clinical records and registers.
• Record ANC, delivery, PNC, newborn, referral, and family planning services using approved formats.
• Ensure timely submission of routine service statistics.
• Support DHIS2/HMIS reporting as required.
• Maintain accurate delivery and maternal/newborn outcome records.

Emergency Preparedness and Response

• Participate in emergency preparedness and response activities at facility level.
• Support response to outbreaks, disasters, cyclones, storms, and other emergencies.
• Maintain readiness to provide essential maternal and newborn services during emergencies.
• Coordinate with the facility Medical Officer and referral focal person for emergency evacuation.
• Support rapid referral of obstetric and neonatal emergencies when local capacity is exceeded.

Safeguarding and Accountability

• Maintain confidentiality and privacy of all clients.
• Provide services without discrimination based on age, gender, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, disability, or other characteristics.
• Uphold respectful maternity care and informed consent.
• Follow PHD's safeguarding, Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA), Protection from Sexual Harassment (PSH), and Code of Conduct policies.
• Facilitate client feedback and communicate complaints through established mechanisms.

Working Conditions

• The position involves working in a hard-to-reach island environment where transportation and communication may be disrupted due to adverse weather and other emergencies. The Midwife may therefore be required to:
• Work in shifts, including night duty.
• Provide emergency services outside normal working hours.
• Stay at or near the assigned facility according to the duty roster.
• Travel by boat or other available transportation when required.
• Work during weekends and public holidays as per service requirements.
• Respond to emergency situations during periods of restricted transportation.