About

Zimbabwe Health Interventions (ZHI) is a not-for-profit human development organisation which is registered as a Private Voluntary Organisation (PVO 17/22). ZHI’s mission is to develop and deliver innovative and sustainable high-impact, integrated health interventions to the communities we serve, while working with and strengthening existing institutions.
The objective of the Accelerated and Comprehensive HIV Care for Epidemic Control in Zimbabwe (ACCE) project is to complement the government of Zimbabwe (GOZ)’s efforts towards epidemic control by targeting testing to efficiently identify PLHIV, ensuring all newly diagnosed PLHIV are immediately linked to treatment, and all PLHIV on treatment have ready access to antiretroviral therapy (ART), are retained on treatment, and remain virally suppressed. The program is being implemented in 9 districts in Midlands (Gweru, Kwekwe, Mberengwa and Gokwe South) and in Manicaland (Makoni, Mutare, Chipinge, Mutasa and Buhera).

Basic Function

The OI/ART Direct Service Delivery (DSD) Nurse is a registered nurse seconded to MOHCC OI/ART departments within high volume health care facilities. The OI/ART DSD nurse will be assigned to work at a heath facility under the guidance designated Sister-in-Charge and technical supervision of the Implementation Fidelity Officer.

Job Description

Conduct HIV testing services as per national guidelines; Work with facility-based lay cadres, out-reach workers and village health workers to mobilize clients within facility and community for HIV counselling and testing; Provide pre and post HIV confidential counselling and testing; Provide oversight that will ensure that the facility is implementing Provider Initiated Testing and Counselling (PITC), Index testing and implementing with fidelity; Perform rapid HIV testing on all clients (adults, adolescents and children) that have consented to testing/re-testing and interpret the results to the clients; Perform viral load sample collection on infants and counsel caregivers; Counsel HIV-positive clients and link them to ART initiation; Counsel HIV-negative clients and link them to prevention counselling and support; Screen all HIV positive clients for TB and STIs and make appropriate referrals; Provide quality care for HIV-positive clients on anti-retroviral (ARV) Treatment; Ensure that all clients identified to be living with HIV at the facility and in the community are linked for ART treatment , care and support; Provide adherence counselling and initiate clients on ARV treatment; Ensure the number of patients who are transitioned to currently recommended ART regimens, considering stock availability. This includes using preferred ART regimens at initiation of treatment and switching patients currently on ART to optimal regimens; Take leadership in developing and ensuring collaboration with the project community cadres to reduce missed opportunities; Provide on job training to lay cadres at the facility to improve patient navigation for ART initiation, VL testing, TPT provision; Ensure that all clients eligible for VL, TPT, Cervical Cancer are provided with services; Work with PCCs to provide mental health screening and refer for mental health care for those that need support; Work closely with the CRFs and OWs to ensure retention on treatment and ensure that clients interrupting treatment are followed up and brought back to care; Support the scale up of DSD models to aligned with MOHCC targets; Link and refer clients to facility and community based Psychosocial Support Services; Provide routine follow-up and monitoring of clients (including scheduling interpreting Viral Load and CD4 test results) and provide adherence support to clients provided with results; Appropriately manage PLHIV with advanced HIV disease and those with high viral loads; Support identification of clients who are defaulting ARVs for tracking, tracing and retention into care; Support the facility stock management of HIV commodities; Documentation of clients in the relevant monitoring and evaluation tools (registers); Report MER-recommended regimen disaggregation for TX_CURR; Record and maintain filing system for all client records (Monthly cohorts) as per MoHCC and ZHI procedures; Write report to in the event of losses /decreases in facility TX Curr; Prepare monthly report on services rendered for submission to supervisor; Work towards meeting the programme set targets for the site which are reviewed on a weekly, month quarterly basis.