Handicap International Physiotherapist Trainer Expert

Country Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK)
City/site Position based in Pyongyang, DPRK Capital but with frequent travel to Hamhung

Department / project Support of services and structures for persons with disabilities in the DPR Korea

Number of employees According to the particular context of DPRK, none of the staff is under HI contract. Nevertheless, the expatriate will work with a team working at physical rehabilitation centres and with KFPD project officers in Pyongyang. She / He will have a translator.

Size of the team N/A

Title of the position Physiotherapist Trainer Expert

N+1 Country Director based in Pyongyang N+2 N/A Direct team management No direct management but the P&O trainer will have to work with the staff of the orthopaedic centres in as well as with KFPD project officers Indirect team management N/A Budget responsibility No Contract Fixed-term contract of 6 months, full time Other advantages
Expected date of arrival April 2013 Duration of the mission 6 months International travel Non Travel between sites yes (50% of time) Possibility of a couple No Possibility of children No

Description of the programme and the projects

HI commenced its activities in DPR Korea in March 2001, implementing projects jointly with the Korean Federation for the Protection of the Disabled People (KFPD) which is a quasi-civil society organisation under the umbrella of Ministry of Public Health.

Our partner, the Korean Federation for the Protection of Disabled People first requested our support to modernise the orthopaedic production in Hamhung orthopaedic centre and is now broadening its request to various disability sectors such as capacity-building, advocacy, education and livelihoods.

Since 2009, while pursuing its support to the rehabilitation sector, HI has been building the capacity of its national partners KFPD in the areas of Project Cycle Management, Organizational development, Disability Knowledge Management, Education and Livelihoods. The project also lead to the creation of the Korean Foundation for the Protection of the Disabled and Orphans (KFDO), a sub branch of KFPD, enabling the development of further projects as well as a representation office in Beijing with the double focus of networking in the disability field and being an interface with potential international donors outside the DPRK.

Please note that due to political reasons, HI does not officially exist in the DPRK and as such is known under the name of EUPS Unit 7 (European Union Program Support Unit 7). Expatriates are considered as technical experts from the EU delegated to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

For more information concerning the context of work in this country, please consult our internet sitewww.handicapinternational.be.

History, context and evolution of the job

The first request of KFPD in 2001 to HI regarding rehabilitation was to strengthen and develop the orthopedic sector. HI answered to this request but also introduced the concept of the comprehensive rehabilitation process and a prosthetics workshop using the PPP technology and a small physiotherapy section have been set up in the city of Hamhung within the compound of a large orthopaedic centre: the Hamhung Orthopaedic Factory (HOF). In late 2004, a totally new equipped workshop has been constructed in the compound of the HOF, the Hamhung Physical Rehabilitation Centre (HPRC). In regard to physiotherapy, HI has supported 2 centers with PT training and provision of equipment between 2003 and 2008 in HPRC, HOH and Sinjun Lake Sanatorium.

Within DPRK, physiotherapist profession is not recognised. Physiotherapist and medical staff do not have a multidisciplinary approach and physiotherapy treatment are mainly focused on passive techniques such as heat, cold, electrotherapy, massage, etc. Furthermore the rehabilitation care often starts quite late in the recovery process which can lead to secondary complications and a reduced functional gain. Nevertheless, KFPD, as well as HPRC, HOH, Sinjun Lake Sanatorium and Tongrim Elderly home see physiotherapy as an important vehicle to complete the Physical Rehabilitation care for PWD in DPRK and have expressed a desire to benefit more from PT services in the future.

From mid-November to mid-December 2011, the HI expert physiotherapist conducted an analysis of the situation in terms of physiotherapy, in order to advise on the orientation of the future strategy in terms of physiotherapy. His findings can be summarized as follows : following in-country training and scholarship training abroad for the P&O technicians and in-country training for physiotherapists, the results that can be observed show a positive impact on the quality of produced orthopedic devices (estimated at approximately 1000 a year) but less for the physiotherapy services accompanying their delivery at the HPRC and during outreach sessions with mobile units. Lacking skills and understanding about other conditions than amputation (observed during the follow-up activities with KFPD), the care for orthopedic and neurological trauma victims in Hamhung Orthopedic Hospital presents varying knowledge and service gaps that lead to permanent disability. Qualitative early rehabilitation is not provided and there are no comprehensive service lines for persons with severe trauma. Paramedical staff trained in basic health care activity (nurses, doctors, physiotherapists) need better knowledge to manage as a team the rising number of patients in their institutions.

Responsibilities

Training:

Training on physiotherapy and basic nursing trauma care patients for HPRC And HOH staff. According to the expert report of December 2011 the training will main focus on: - Informal technical updates on muscle strengthening protocol and pain management in HPRC, especially in regards to stump care and pain management for amputations - Briefing and awareness-raising of staff of HOH in basic concepts of interdisciplinary approach including the approach of medical complication (incontinence, skin problems, patient information, and assessment protocols). This training will stress the needs and effects of an early physiotherapy treatment in order to prevent secondary impairment. Mechanisms and communication procedure will also be proposed in order to improve the collaboration between the professionals. - Capacity reinforcing of the HOH physiotherapists in basic trauma care and early rehabilitation which will include teaching basic assessment tools to the staff ranging from clinical assessment and assessment for complications after surgery or neurological outfall on the patients. It will also integrate sessions on the provision of moderate training efforts on airway management, early mobilization, bedside mobility, early gait stimulation, followed by physiotherapy management in the rehabilitation ward. - Capacity strengthening of the physiotherapists of HPRC on outreach/mobile unit in order to allow them Capacity strengthening of the physiotherapists of HPRC on outreach/mobile unit to provide additional advise on patient education, prevention of secondary complications and family advise for certain pathologies encountered.
- Based on the main pathologies and trauma observed in the hospital and HPRC, the Physiotherapist trainer will also support KFDP in the development of pedagogic material for patients and their families to be informed about the basic care and exercises and the prevention of secondary impairment. - To analyse further needs for training

NB: the Physiotherapist trainer will ensure that all corresponding training and awareness raising material is made available in English.

Support to equipment and consumable order:

For HPRC, there are a few elements of equipment that could be completed or replaced in order to better manage stump care, strengthening of limbs as well as manage stump pain problems, with the mainly young amputees. As for the HOH, provision a package of pain management, a package for functional rehabilitation for severe trauma patient and a consumable package for the patients will be needed.

The Physiotherapist trainer will support the 2 institutions in identifying the correct and setting up priorities needs for the next order. She/he will also give technical input to Unit 7 team along the purchase process.

Support to National rehabilitation strategy development and implementation:

Draft a framework (ToR) for conducting the mobiles units (goals and limits) It is important to note that the activities carried out by the mobile teams have limits and they can never be a substitute for rehabilitation centre which have all the necessary means and equipment to provide quality treatment. The Physiotherapist trainer, in collaboration with the P&O trainer will support KFDP rehabilitation department to write an explanatory document setting forth firstly the objectives of the mobile teams, as well as activities that they can carry out, in order to lay a framework and to define precisely the boundaries of these actions. This document would as well capture the precise impact of these outreach sessions in order to increase its needed strength in number and quality. The role of each professional (physiotherapist, P&O technician, bench worker) and its prescription capacity should be described in order to model this activity in the future and ensure efficient use of human resources for this outreach activity.

On demand of KFDP, the physiotherapist trainer will also provide technical advises in the field of physiotherapy/rehabilitation and input for a national strategy. .

ICRC collaboration ICRC is interested to collaborate with KFPD in the field of rehabilitation. Even if the DPRK context does not at all facilitate this type of collaboration, there are some possibilities. HI having decided to gradually step out of the rehabilitation sector, there might be interesting area of collaboration with ICRC. The physiotherapist trainer would be requested to further discuss the possibilities with ICRC, keeping in mind the limitations due to the context. Those discussions will have to be made together with the Country Representative of EUPS Unit 7.

Contribution to the general management of the DPRK program

As part of Unit 7 team, the Physiotherapist trainer will contribute to the general management of the project by: - participating to coordination meeting and providing input to the monthly reports; - Provide input into the Country Review framework. - Providing technical inputs regarding donor reporting and identification, formulation of new projects or re-orientation of existing projects. - Liaise with Technical Resources Department of HI federation.

Travel

According to responsibilities listed above, the mission’s location will be spread between Pyongyang and Hamhung.

Profile required for the job

The candidate will have to demonstrate an ability to understand the context of the country, understand the political and logistics constraints, which will affect any project here. He/she will be able to integrate those realities in his/her recommendations. His/her analysis skills will enable him/her to translate all the information collected in practical and precise recommendations.

Secondly, he/she will be able to organize his/her time with efficiency and flexibility according to possible restrictions or administrative constraints/obligations.

Knowledge • Degree(s), diploma(s): degree in physiotherapy, specialisation in orthopaedic physical rehabilitation will be an asset. • Knowledge on logistic process & procedures will be an asset. • Language(s): English is the working language, candidate must have a good written and spoken knowledge. Skills • Teaching methodology and experience are necessary. • Experience in physical rehabilitation, proven experience and knowledge of Hi’s program will be an asset

Personal qualities • The success of a mission in North Korea depends on both the personal and professional qualities. An ability to demonstrate tolerance, patience, flexibility and self-reliance are important personality traits and are the key factors in determining the success of the candidate. The candidate will need to be confident and comfortable with himself/herself and will need to adjust his/her expectations and aspirations for life and work in North Korea according to the local context. The candidate should be psychologically strong enough to cope with the environment, be calm, and have well-tempered character showing maturity and diplomacy in decision-making. • To adhere to Handicap International’s vision: a world in which all forms of disabilities can be prevented, cared for or integrated, and in which the rights of people with disabilities are respected and applied

How to apply:

Please send CV and cover letter to jobs@handicap.be