Medical Escort (Psychiatrist) – On-Call Basis

ULUSLARARASI GÖÇ ÖRGÜTÜ

General Functions:  

Under the overall guidance of the Chief of Mission in Turkiye, the direct supervision of the Chief Medical Officer based in IOM Turkey the incumbent will provide health assistance to the migrants during all phases of their journey under IOM care, which would include medical escort, operational support, pre-departure health checks and general assistance such as seating, help with meals and attending to personal hygiene.

Major Duties and Responsibilities: 

1. Reviews all files of refugees/migrants known to have significant medical conditions and communicating the findings with the IOM physician.
2. Evaluates the assigned migrant(s) prior to departure for their fitness
3. Receives the migrant(s) at the Receiving Point in Turkey, provide the migrant(s) with escort services throughout the journey, and handover the migrant(s) to the designated Receiving Party at the designated place in the Country of Destination.
4. Ensures that special services (i.e. medications, oxygen, stretcher, others) needed are available; again, special equipment/facilities may require up to two weeks’ notice to airlines.
5. Responsible for bringing a medical escort bag provided by IOM, with additional medications and medical equipment related to specific needs of the travelling migrants. The escort is expected to return the kit upon completion of tasks and maintain an accurate inventory of supplies used during travel and inform IOM at the base mission accordingly.
6. The escort should introduce him/herself to cabin staff, advising that he/she will be available to assist in any way at all with migrants during travel particularly in case of large groups and when no other IOM operation escort staff is/are on board.  It is important for medical escorts to understand that their responsibility might not be limited to the medical care of the escorted migrant but that can be extended to general in-flight and on-the-ground support to passengers travelling under the auspices of IOM as circumstances allow.
7. Ensures that the to-be-escorted individual and other IOM passengers are fit for travel and do not pose any health threat to other passengers on the aircraft.
8. Reserves the right to cancel any persons from a flight after evaluating the clinical condition of the migrant in coordination with the IOM physician. The medical escort should immediately notify the IOM Migration Health Services Unit and the Operations staff of such events that may cause delays/alterations of the operation as planned. 
9. Attends to the escorted migrants’ in-flight and disembarkation needs up to the final destination.
10. Ensures of having obtained the emergency phone numbers/ addresses of IOM offices and/or operations staff at the port of entry/final destination for any required medical and operation assistance.
11. In case there is no IOM operations staff assisting the medical escort, he/she should obtain the necessary address of hospitals/health centres at the destination/port of entry for any unforeseen event.
12. Endorses the escorted migrant to his/her family, representative from the sponsoring volunteer agency, or the IOM Operations staff, or appropriate health care personnel at the final destination and obtain written evidence of the hand-over.
13. Upon handover of the migrant(s) to the receiving party, get the signature from the receiving party to Migrant Handover Notification filled in and signed by the medical escort.
14. Submits a completed Medical Flight Report Form and Migrant Handover Notification to the IOM Mission and the relevant MHS Unit involved within 2 days after the completion of tasks.
15. Performs other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications:

Education:

• University Degree in Medicine.

Experience:

• At least five years of experience in clinical practice; Compassionate attitude to the patients.
• Willingness and ability to work in difficult conditions.
• Cultural and gender sensitivity: ability to work with the colleagues with different cultural backgrounds.

Languages:

• Fluency in English is required.
• Other languages are an advantage.