Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is an international, independent, medical humanitarian organisation that delivers emergency aid to people affected by armed conflict, epidemics, natural disasters and exclusion from healthcare. MSF offers assistance to people based on need, irrespective of race, religion, gender or political affiliation.
Our actions are guided by medical ethics and the principles of neutrality and impartiality.
A worldwide movement
MSF was founded in Paris, France in 1971. Its principles are described in the organisation’s founding charter. It is a non-profit, self-governed organisation.
Today, MSF is a worldwide movement of 24 associations, bound together as MSF International, based in Switzerland.
Thousands of health professionals, logistical and administrative staff – most of whom are hired locally – work on programmes in some 70 countries worldwide.
Humanitarian action
MSF’s work is based on humanitarian principles. We are committed to bringing quality medical care to people caught in crisis, regardless of race, religion or political affiliation.
MSF operates independently. We conduct our own evaluations on the ground to determine people’s needs. More than 90 per cent of our overall funding comes from millions of private sources, not governments.
MSF is neutral. We do not take sides in armed conflicts, we provide care on the basis of need, and we push for independent access to victims of conflict as required under international humanitarian law.
Bearing witness and speaking out
MSF medical teams often witness violence and neglect in the course of their work, largely in regions that receive scant international attention.
At times, MSF may speak out publicly in an effort to bring a forgotten crisis to public attention, to alert the public to abuses occurring beyond the headlines, to criticise the inadequacies of the aid system, or to challenge the diversion of humanitarian aid for political interests.
Quality medical care
MSF rejects the idea that poor people deserve third-rate medical care and strives to provide high-quality care to patients. In 1999, when MSF was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, the organisation announced the money would go towards raising awareness of and fighting against neglected diseases.
Through the Access Campaign, and in partnership with the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative, this work has helped lower the price of HIV/AIDS treatment and stimulated research and development for medicines to treat malaria and neglected diseases like sleeping sickness and kala azar.Responsibilities
Identify the psychosocial, socio-economic and administrative needs for patients
Actively promote the availability of counselling services and carry out, individual or in group counseling, basic psycho educational sessions, to patients, their families (when needed), in order to alleviate their psychosocial difficulties within the project scope.
Reports to the unit Supervisor if patients need referral to other specialists or other institutions for further assistance, when necessary, in order to propose the best support available.
Participate in the creation of any material needed for counseling activities and look after it,
Keep files and statistics of daily activities and participate in team meetings to share experiences and discuss special cases with other counselors, preserving confidentiality
Inform line manager of any problem of any kind arising during the day-to-day activities.
Take active part in trainings, supervisions/Intervention and support the activity manager, when necessary, in doing sensitization for MSF staff or external partners about mental health /psychosocial issues.
Discuss difficulties and problems in counselling with supervisor.
Receive patient referrals from the medical teams and conduct intake and psychological assessment of all patients referred for mental health support, following the MSF standards and procedures.
Identify the emotional and psychosocial needs of all patients referred and discuss with the MHAM a preliminary treatment plan for their continuum of care.
Facilitate individual, family or group counselling/support sessions for patients on the VVF and Maternity Wards, caregivers of ICU and NBU patients, as well as for SV survivors, and other vulnerable populations within the MSF Jahun project’s target population.
Provide follow-up counselling sessions for all patients receiving mental health support using a Cognitive-Behavioural model: paying attention to level of emotional distress, symptomatology, building resilience, increasing coping mechanisms, problem management and decision-making skills in patients.
Liaise with the caregivers of patients receiving mental health care to provide holistic support to the family unit where necessary.
Perform Psychological First Aid (PFA) with patients, and when needed their families, who are having difficulties making decisions for surgery or to take a treatment or follow a patient-care plan where needed.
Provide PFA for HIV-positive patients, and refer them to the MoH clinic for follow up.
Plan, facilitate and report on the psychosocial activities and other group interventions with specific target populations in the hospital, for example, art and craft therapy for women on the VVF ward.
Following a patient-centred approach, ensure that in providing mental health and psychosocial care for patients, their rights, needs, and wishes are respected and prioritized:
Their right to be treated with dignity and respect
Their right to choose a course of action related to their mental health or medical condition
Their right to privacy and confidentiality
Their right to non-discrimination
Their right to comprehensive information to help make their own decision
Collaborate with the Health Promotion team on community awareness-raising about the mental health signs and consequences of SV, obstetric complications, and VVF.
Work in collaboration with the medical teams (doctors, nurses, midwives) to ensure comprehensive support for patients, emphasizing the mental health consequences of medical interventions.
Consult with the medical teams to be informed about the medical condition and prognosis for patients identified as needing mental health support in order to provide them with holistic care.
Applying a multidisciplinary approach, participate in palliative care discussions with the medical teams and caregivers in ICU and NBU.
Develop action plans to address the emotional and social needs of SV survivors and provide follow up to ensure provision of the needed services.
Conduct rounds of the VVF and Maternity wards once daily to retrieve and process all non-urgent mental health referrals.
Ensure that the Wards are equipped with blank referral forms to be completed by the referring medical personel for patients needing mental health support.
Conduct psychoeducation/MH awareness group discussions with patients and caregivers in the hospital, as well as with community members with the Outreach team in the BEmoNCs as needed.
In collaboration with the [supervisor], appropriately discharge patients from mental health support who are no longer in need of this service.
In collaboration with the MHAM, provide patients in need of additional or continuous specialized mental health care with referrals to external partners.
Perform all duties observing the MSF policies and in compliance with relevant SOPs and immediately report to the MHAM whenever compliance cannot be met.
Maintain and ensure strict confidentiality of all patient information by keeping the patients’ files in a locked cabinet.
Using the standard forms, consistently and accurately update the patients’ files that are kept in the counselling office.
Consistently and accurately write progress notes in the patients’ medical files on the Wards.
Ensure that the patient register in the counselling room is consistently updated and keep an accurate account of all current patients receiving mental health support.
On the required form, complete and submit your statistics by the end of each week.
Enter all statistics and consultation data on a weekly basis in the Mental Health Database (MHDB).
Liaise with the MH Advisor to correct any technical challenges that arise with the MHDB.
Prepare a report on the MHPSS activities in a monthly SitRep, using the standard indicators.
Supervision / Meetings / Trainings:
Attend and participate in weekly individual supervision with the MHAM.
Attend and participate in group supervision as scheduled by the MHAM.
Attend and participate in the monthly MHPSS remote knowledge-sharing meetings facilitated by the MH Advisor.
Attend other meetings relevant to the mental health activity at the request of the MHAM / NAM.
Attend and participate in skill-development trainings as recommended by the MHAM / NAM.
