What type of programme should I choose? - Recruitment - Act - Médecins du Monde

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What type of programme should I choose?



Médecins du Monde works with the most vulnerable populations of the world and manages three types of programmes: crisis or emergencies, rehabilitation, and development.


Crisis or emergency programmes :

These relate to crisis situations (natural disasters, epidemics, armed conflict, etc.) and involve immediate medical and logistical action: medical and psychological care, additional medical supplies and human resources, sanitation, etc.

Depending on the context, the teams are generally made up of:

 

  • In the capital city:

 

1 general coordinator

1 general medical coordinator

1 general logistics coordinator

1 general administrator

1 human rights specialist

 

  • In an outpost:

 

several site coordinators

surgeons, doctors, nurses, midwives

logisticians

administrators


For expatriate staff, these programmes involve:

 

  • A rapid departure (between 24 hours' and 1 week's notice)
  • Providing treatment, organising treatment, and rehabilitating local infrastructures,
  • A short period (2-3 months) in the field as these programmes are generally tiring, both physically and psychologically.

 


Rehabilitation and development programmes :

These have two essential principles:

1. Complementary intervention:

Our mandate is to promote populations' health and reinforce their access to quality healthcare by working together with local personnel with knowledge of practices and cultures, to support (and not replace) training, management, organisation, etc.

2. To implement integrated and sustainable programmes:

NGOs can only be present for a limited time and programmes must continue after they leave. This means that our intervention must consider local context (networks, organisations, healthcare systems and centres, etc) and take account of local partners' capacity to renew technically, organisationally, and financially. Expatriate teams must therefore work in close partnership with national workers to build realistic, shared, and sustainable solutions.


Some programmes aim to restore the quality of healthcare access following a crisis situation. Intervention can consist either of:

 

  • Aiding physical and psychological recovery (e.g. Haiti), or

 

  • Rebuilding health and social structures (premises, materials) to guarantee basic healthcare services for the population. These programmes tend to develop in the medium-term (e.g. Peru).

 


Other programmes take place over a longer period and aim to provide sustainable solutions for particularly vulnerable populations.
They often focus on common practices in a variety of areas and address both physical and psychological aspects of healthcare.

 

  • Improving access to treatment for refugee and displaced populations
  • Promoting women's and children's health (e.g. DRC)
  • Promoting minority health (e.g. Colombia)
  • Tackling endemics, including AIDS (e.g. Tanzania)
  • Reducing risks relating to drug dependency (e.g. Afghanistan).

 


For expatriate staff, rehabilitation programmes involve:

 

  • A 1 to 2 month’s departure notice
  • Spending a minimum of 6 months overseas (posts are renewable every 6 months)
  • A role involving organisation, management, and training.

 


For expatriate staff, development-based programmes involve:

 

  • A 1 to 2 month’s departure notice
  • Spending a year overseas (renewable)
  • Work based on setting up integrated healthcare projects.
  • An assignment with your family is possible for certain programmes

 


Rehabilitation and development programmes use smaller teams than emergency programmes. They are made up of:

 

  • 1 medical or non-medical coordinator
  • 1 or more doctors, nurses, and midwives
  • 1 logistician/administrator
  • 1 national team with advanced skills and responsibilities

 

WHO MANAGES THE PROGRAMMES?:

Each overseas programme is managed by three people:

 

  • A programme coordinator in the field (volunteer or salaried)
  • A desk manager (salaried), in charge of programmes in a particular geographical zone, based at the head office in France
  • A voluntary head of programme/mission (RM in its French acronym)

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