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Biotechnicians Receive Training on Laboratory Equipment Maintenance

To enhance the skills of biotechnicians to maintain laboratory equipment across the country, the Institute of Human Virology, Nigeria (IHVN) has conducted a five-day training on calibration and certification of biosafety cabinet (BSC) equipment.

 IHVN NSF Enhanced Accredited Biosafety Cabinet Certifier, Mr. Olatokun F Ayobami, said that BSC equipment is the main containment equipment used to safeguard laboratory workers and the environment against infectious biological materials. “The training is to build the capacities of staff of Implementing Partners and the government,” he said.

Participants were taken through lectures and practical sessions on installing, using, and performing basic checks for Bio-safety cabinets.

IHVN Senior Technical Adviser, Laboratory Services, Dr. Sam Peters urged participants to utilize the skills gained at the basic certification training. “This is the first time this kind of training is being held in Nigeria. I urge you to hold firmly to what you have learned,” he said.

A trainee, Mr. Nsiffiok Sebastian Okon noted that the training has equipped them and spurred them to advance towards being internationally certified Biosafety Cabinet Engineers. “The training has been very instructive with a lot of opportunity for hands-on sessions,” he said.

Community Mothers-Love Parties Provide HIV Services to Women 

More than 300 pregnant and lactating women in Chibiri and Gaube communities in Kuje, Abuja have received free HIV counseling and testing services at Mother’s-Love Parties organized by the Institute of Human Virology Nigeria (IHVN).

Mothers-Love Party, which is an IHVN initiative, is a gathering for women and children in communities to sensitize women on care for their babies, personal and environmental hygiene, the importance of immunization and registration, and antenatal care. In such parties, IHVN also provides mother-care packs for women with items such as sanitary pads, gloves, and cotton wool, amongst others.

IHVN Senior Program Officer, Mrs. Helen Mutong said “By organizing Mothers-Love Parties, IHVN aims to increase awareness, enhance access to services, and ultimately reduce the transmission of HIV from mother to child. This strategic approach ensures that all pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, and pediatric patients receive the necessary support and care for a healthy outcome in line with the overall Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV (PMTCT) strategy.”

During the mother’s love parties in Kuje, free malaria, hepatitis B, and syphilis tests were also provided for attendees, including children between the ages of 1-14 years.

Mrs. Mutong added “we have seen that some pregnant women do not go to the hospital to access care, so we are bringing care to them. Most of the women would rather have their children through Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs). We work with the TBA to ensure safe deliveries and referral to the nearest health facility.”

Other strategies being adopted to reach women in communities include collaboration with religious leaders to create awareness about the need for HIV testing especially for pregnant women.

One of the pregnant women who got tested, Mrs. Ona, (pseudonym) expressed her joy at the initiative. “Most times, we do not have transport to go to the hospital and when we go, they give us a list of things to buy so we just decide to have our baby at home, but today, IHVN has shared these packs that have everything we need for delivery, so I am very happy,” she said.

RFP for Provision of Ad-hoc Staff Payment Warehousing Services

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

Provision of Ad-hoc Staff Payment Warehousing Services.

Introduction

The Institute of Human Virology (IHVN) is a leading and reputable non-governmental organization addressing infectious and non-infectious diseases such as HIV, tuberculosis, and cancer through prevention, diagnosis, treatment, capacity building, research, care, and support services. IHVN is in partnership with local and international organizations and the different tiers of the government of Nigeria at the national, state, and local levels. The Institute’s vision is to provide quality health services, capacity building, and research in West Africa and beyond.

Objectives

IHVN would like to engage the services of a credible and competent organization to provide payment warehousing services for Ad-hoc staff engaged in the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) project across the three States of Katsina (KAT), Nasarawa (NAS), Rivers/Rivers ART Surge Project (RSP) plus 1, Federal Capital Territory (FCT)  for a period of ten months with effect from December 2023 to September 2024, with an option to extend an additional three years and other grants/projects based on exceptional performance.

The estimated number of ad-hoc staff varies across the 4 IHVN/PEPFAR-supported States, and an average of 283 (FCT: 286, KAT: 195, NAS: 161, RSP: 490, total=1,132) of them. The available ad-hoc staff positions per State are indicative and do not represent a commitment that IHVN will necessarily fill up all, meaning the actual implementation will vary, and funds disbursements will depend on that actual utilization of the positions. While payments vary depending on the group/cadre of staff across the States, you must issue payments based on staff performance, meaning payments are performance-based. IHVN will determine and communicate the stipend per staff via a payment schedule.

Opening Date : 10th October 2023

Closing Date :24th  October 2023

Ad-hoc Staff Cadre:

  1. Linkage Coordinator
  2. Cascade/Case Managers
  3. 1st 95 staff-Index Testing Staff, Provider Initiated Testing & Counselling (PITC) staff, Pediatrics Intensified Case Finders, Community Testers (all groups of testers, OVC testers), 1st 95 baseline VL sample collectors
  4. TB/HIV volunteers or referral coordinators
  5. VL phlebotomists/Viral load Champions
  6. Indigenous Health Care Workers
  7. Community Case Management Teams
  8. C-19 Staff-Sample collectors, Hygienists, Data Analysts
  9. Recency Ad-hoc Das
  10. Community ART team

Scope of Work (SoW):

Timely official documentation, issuance of engagement/renewal/disengagement letters of all groups of ad-hoc staff as captured in the LOA/above. Timely issuance of Identification Cards/ withdrawal of the same as required. Timely review and payment of their stipends align with the IHVN-approved payment schedules and payment report submission. Quick intervention into payment challenges as communicated by IHVN. Periodic supervision and assessment of their workflow, performance, and attendance, with assessment report submission.

Requirements:

  • Office Space/Address: Show evidence of good office space where operations occur, and the IHVN team can readily & comfortably contact the management team on discussions around the operations.
  • Technical Expertise: Assign a qualified and experienced staff to lead/manage the operations of this effort directly. Maintain a bank account with excellent record keeping for this purpose. Process payments with minimal or no issues within 24-48 hours of the receipt of the payment schedule from IHVN and share the payment report within a week of the same. Timely transmission of activity reports (refer to SoW) quarterly.
  • Advancing funds/Gap-bridging: Show the capability to access funds and process payments whenever there are delays in quarterly funds from IHVN for one reason or another.
  • Compliance: Show evidence of capacity to ensure compliance with IHVN’s record-keeping and financial probity requirements.
  • Flexibility: Show evidence of capacity to respond to changes in the operating environment.

Reporting Requirements:

S/NReporting FrequencyRecipient of the report (IHVN team)
1Daily basis/as needed: Send report detailing the engagement of recruits per official documentation, letter of engagement/disengagement, ID Card provision/retrieval, and any issue that requires escalation to IHVN.PEPFAR Program Coordinating Unit (PCU)
2Monthly basis: Payment reports, Monitoring & Assessment reports.PCU
3Quarterly basis: Payment reports, Expenditure details/analysis, general operations report.Grants & Contracts Dept., PCU, Finance & Administration, Internal Audit & Compliance (IA&C)

Key Performance Indicators:

  1. Timely stipends processing
  2. Quality of Payment processed (no or minimal issues)
  3. Ability to excellently follow through on other responsibilities per the SoW
  4. Completeness of documentation.
  • Mode of Application: All applications should forwarded to the Deputy Director Procurement/HOD SCM Supply Chain Management Departmentthrough this email address: [email protected]This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
  • This advert closes 14 days from the date of this publication, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.