District Coordinator (Karnataka, Assam)

 
About YRG MERF

Established in 1993, YRGMERF is a pioneering non-governmental organisation in India, committed to transforming lives through integrated healthcare, inclusive partnerships, and forward-looking research. Grounded in the values of integrity and sustainability, we address both immediate and evolving societal challenges empowering communities to attain equitable and lasting health outcomes. We provide comprehensive services across prevention, care, support, and treatment, particularly for those affected by HIV and other infectious diseases.

Position Summary

The District Coordinator is the person who makes this project work on the ground. Every block visit, every community meeting, every training session, every interaction with the PHC Medical Officer, every IHIP signal follow-up – it either happens through the District Coordinator or because the District Coordinator made it happen. This is not a desk role. The District Coordinator spends 70–80% of the time in the field (blocks, sub-centres, villages, PHCs) and 20–30% at the district headquarters (government meetings, data compilation, reporting).

Key Responsibilities

Community Mobilisation

• Identify and map existing community platforms in every block of the district: Self-Help Groups, Mahila Arogya Samitis, Resident Welfare Associations, VHSNC members, Panchayat health committee members, and other community structures that can serve as sentinel reporters
  


• Meet with SHG and MAS leadership to explain the sentinel surveillance concept, secure their participation, and jointly select members who will serve as community sentinels. Selection criteria include: regular presence in the community, basic literacy, willingness to report, and access to a mobile phone (feature phone or smartphone)
  


• Conduct the initial sentinel training in each block: translation of NCDC trigger list into observable community language, IHIP CBR tool demonstration, practice reporting exercises, and distribution of job aids and laminated reference cards
  


• Establish WhatsApp groups (or phone tree systems where smartphones are not available) for each block, connecting sentinels with the District
  


• Coordinator and the assigned Medical Officer for real-time communication
  


• ​Conduct monthly community health meetings in each block where sentinels share observations, discuss borderline cases, and receive feedback on signals they reported. These meetings are the primary retention mechanism – sentinels who feel their reports are taken seriously continue reporting; those who feel ignored stop.
  

• Ensure that every IHIP signal reported by community sentinels in the district is tracked through to verification. Maintain a signal tracking register (physical notebook and digital spreadsheet) recording: date of signal, reporter identity, signal description, MO assigned, verification status, time taken, verification outcome, and follow-up actions.
  


• Follow up with Medical Officers when verification is pending beyond 12 hours. The 24-hour verification window is a hard commitment – the District Coordinator’s job is to make sure it is met. Where MOs are consistently unresponsive, escalate to the Block Medical Officer or DSO through the State Coordinator.
  


• Support Medical Officers during field verification visits when requested. Some MOs, particularly those new to community surveillance, benefit from having the District Coordinator accompany them during the first few verifications to facilitate community interaction.
  


• Ensure that sentinel reporters receive feedback on every signal they report. Even if a signal turns out to be a non-event after verification, the reporter must know the outcome. Feedback closure is what keeps the reporting chain alive.
  

• Establish a working relationship with the District Surveillance Officer and DSO staff from the first week of deployment. Attend IDSP review meetings at the district level.
  


• Provide weekly informal updates to the DSO on community surveillance activity in the district.
  


• Coordinate with Block Medical Officers to ensure that MOs at PHCs are aware of their verification responsibilities and have the IHIP access and training needed to perform them.
  


• Maintain a register of all government meetings attended, with date, attendees, discussion points, and action items. This register serves as evidence of government engagement for donor reporting.
  
  

• Submit fortnightly data reports to the State Coordinator covering: number of active sentinels, signals reported, signals verified, verification time, training sessions conducted, community meetings held, government meetings attended, and any operational challenges
  


• Maintain all source documents: training attendance sheets with signatures, community meeting minutes, signal tracking registers, photograph logs, and government meeting records. These are audit-ready documents and must be kept current and complete at all times
  


• Support the DATA QUALITY CONTROL Officer during data quality audits by making all source documents available and facilitating field visits to verify reported data
  

Requirements

YRG is an equal-opportunity organisation. At YRG, we are committed to supporting inclusion and diversity as part of our values. We celebrate employee’s differences in abilities, sexual orientation, ethnicity, faith, and gender. Our team are people with different strengths, experiences, and backgrounds, who share a passion for improving people's lives.