ACCESSIBILITY OF HEALTH PRODUCTS

The Drug Store has continued to improve the availability of health products at health care facilities. The availability of health products has been measured by the 290 health product indicator, but due to the strengthening of service delivery systems and the Government's intention to improve the lives of Tanzanians from the 2023/24 financial year, the number of indicator products used to measure the availability of health products has increased from 290 products to 382 products. The availability of health products, indicating 382, has increased from 42 percent in 2021/2022 to 67 percent in February, 2024/2025, equivalent to an increase of 23 percent. In fact, the availability of health products has been improving year by year.

In addition, over the four-year period, the Drug Warehouse has procured and distributed medical equipment and supplies needed in health care facilities from primary to tertiary and specialized care facilities in the country. Much of this equipment is used to conduct tests and enable health care facilities to fulfill their responsibilities effectively. Some of the equipment distributed include sleep machines, CT-Scan, MRI 3T, Ultrasound machines, and digital X-Ray with a total value of 376.6 billion shillings

FULFILMENT OF HEALTH PRODUCTS

The fulfillment of the needs of health care facilities has continued to improve, where as of June 2024, the fulfillment of needs reached 79 percent. However, due to the presence of various ongoing crises in the world and thus affecting the supply chain as well as industrial production in the country that is not keeping up with the increase in the needs of health care facilities, the fulfillment of needs has reached 67 percent and is expected to reach 90 percent by June 2025. This increase is due to the strengthening of the strategy of purchasing products directly from manufacturers.

SPECIAL PLAN FOR DISTRIBUTION OF BLOOD DIALYSIS MACHINES

The government through the Drug Depot is implementing a special plan to increase access to blood filtration services as part of kidney treatment, thus reducing the cost of the service. Due to the significant investment made by the sixth phase Government, as of February 2025, the number of machines has increased to 137 machines from 60 machines, thus increasing the number of hospitals that received machines from the Drug Depot from 6 hospitals that existed in the financial year 2021/22 to 15 hospitals in 2024/25. This investment has cost an amount of 7.7 billion shillings.

Of these hospitals, 11 hospitals have started providing services and 4 hospitals are in the maintenance stage. Some of the hospitals providing services include Amana, Mwananyamala, Temeke, Morogoro, Katavi, Tumbi, Chato, Sekoe Toure and UDOM Hospitals.

This strategy for the distribution of dialysis machines aims to reduce costs, where currently the costs charged are between 200,000 and 230,000 shillings and the expectation is to be able to reduce and be less than 100,000 shillings per session. This strategy is being implemented under the strong coordination of the Ministry of Health in partnership with hospitals providing hemodialysis services where a basic package of equipment used in hemodialysis for 100 sessions. (hemodialysis consumables basic kit content for 100 sessions) has been established. This package contains a total of 15 essential products for each dialysis session.

DISTRIBUTION OF ORAL HEALTH PRODUCTS.

The distribution of oral and dental health products has continued to improve during the sixth phase of the Government where the Drug Depot has continued to ensure that oral and dental health products are available at health service delivery centers. In addition, for the financial year 2024/2025, the Government through the Drug Depot has distributed oral and dental health products worth 9.98 billion shillings from distributing oral and dental health products worth 254.7 million shillings in the year 2021/2022. Over the past four years, oral and dental health products worth 21.5 billion shillings have been distributed, of which 17.87 billion shillings is the value of dental chairs and dental x-ray machines, which is equivalent to 83 percent. Of this cost, dental chairs cost 13.8 billion shillings and enabled the distribution of 647 chairs and 331 modern dental x-ray machines worth 4.07 billion shillings. These products have been distributed to 6 hospitals at the regional and district levels.

DISTRIBUTION OF MOTHER AND CHILD PRODUCTS (CEMONC).

In improving maternal and child health by providing emergency obstetric care and early childhood care, the Government through the Drug Depot has purchased and distributed health products over the past four years to improve 316 health centers and ensure that they provide emergency care.

Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and New-born Care - CEmONC. All 414 health products worth 100,182,390,897.40 shillings have been distributed and installed at these health care facilities in the country.

EFFICIENCY OF DISTRIBUTION OF HEALTH PRODUCTS WITH REGARD TO THE TIMELINESS.

In ensuring that health products are always available at health care facilities, the Government through the Drug Depot has continued to achieve the distribution of health products nationwide in six cycles (centers are delivered products every 7 months) from four cycles (centers are delivered products every three months) and thus ensuring that health care facilities have sufficient medicines at all times.

In addition, the Drug Depot has continued to improve the timely distribution of health products by 98 percent from its warehouses to health care facilities. This percentage has increased from 23 percent reported in 2021/2022.

ADMINISTRATION OF LAWS, RULES AND PROCEDURES, AND VARIOUS GOVERNMENT GUIDELINES

The Drug Depot has continued to make improvements based on Laws, Procedures and Regulations, including various guidelines of the Ministry of Labor, TRA, OSHA, Social Funds, etc., thus facilitating a decrease in audit objections from 130 objections in 2020/21 to 44 objections in the 2023/24 financial year. To overcome these objections, various measures are being taken including the installation of IT systems, construction of warehouses, improvements and strengthening of management.

IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PERFORMANCE OF THE DRUG DEPARTMENT.

In 2021/22, the performance of the Drug Depot was being complained about by various stakeholders in the health sector due to existing shortcomings. These complaints concerned the unavailability of health products indicating inadequacy, delays in serving customer needs including the distribution of relevant products, shortcomings in the 10 good governance and performance management system. At this time, the health sector was developing rapidly where the demand and type of health products increased due to the growth of Science and Technology and increased investment made by the Government.

In March 2022, H.E. Dr. Samia Suluhu Hassan, President of the United Republic of Tanzania, issued instructions for the system and performance of the Drug Depot to be reviewed and fully implemented to meet the current needs of health care facilities and operate effectively. Based on these instructions, the Drug Depot sought a consultant to review and advise on the best way to operate the Institution.

REVIEW OF INSTITUTIONAL STRUCTURE

Reviewing the Institutional Structure to reflect the needs and expectations of various stakeholders. This area involves a review of the skills, number and ability of staff to carry out their duties.

Steps achieved;

i. The organizational structure that reflects the needs has been reviewed and the relevant Authorities have approved its use and is able to reflect the needs of major customers, the implementation of responsibilities based on global health care trends, the management of the Msonge Project and the strengthening of the supply chain of health products.

ii. Employees who meet the criteria of the health product chain have been employed including Human Doctors, Oral Surgeons, Radiologists, Medical Device Engineers, Electricians, Laboratory Specialists, etc.

iii. Employees have been given training relevant to their job performance including training in procurement, performance management, institution management, etc.

REVIEW OF THE IT SYSTEM

Overall, the use of IT for the Drug Warehouse has reached 95 percent where the majority of the processes are carried out in the Epicor 10 - ERP system and led to MSD being recognized by the E-Government Authority at Level 4 in 11 IT applications. In addition, the Drug Depot has continued to implement the Government's instructions on IT systems to be interoperable, where the integrated systems include (ELMIS) which is used to receive requirements from health care facilities, HFR-to obtain health care facility registration information, Payment systems (Bank and GePG), DCEA- information on the purchase and distribution of certified health products, Epicor-information on funds provided by donors and payments used, NHIF-to assist in obtaining price information (NHIF kit), TMDA System- To obtain information on registered products and GoTHOMIS-information on product prices, customer requests, customer lists, etc.,

In parallel, the Drug Depot has made significant progress in its plan to digitize its business processes (Digitization Project) compared to the situation in 2021/2022. Key priority areas in the plan include;

i. A more modern ERP system,

ii. Digital platform (ECM) to eliminate all use of paper,

iii. Integration of MSD systems with all sectoral systems including institutions that work closely with MSD,

iv. Electronic SADC Pool Procurement (eSPPS) system for purchasing health products for SADC countries, and

v. System