editor
The government has announced that the availability of medicines across health facilities nationwide has reached 87 percent, while stock levels at the Medical Stores Department (MSD) stand at more than 77 percent.
Government Chief Pharmacist Daudi Msasi disclosed the figures during a special interview with Azam Television, where he outlined the current status of medicine supply and investment opportunities in the health products manufacturing sector.
Msasi said government funding for medicines has increased significantly over the past three years, rising from Sh200 billion to Sh398 billion. Of that amount, more than Sh198 billion has already been disbursed to MSD to support the procurement of essential drugs.
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He noted that while the overall medicine availability situation is stable, Tanzania still relies heavily on imports for most health products. He said about 80 percent of standard medicines are imported, while specialized medicines such as antiretroviral drugs for HIV are fully imported. He added that about 90 percent of medical supplies and 99 percent of laboratory reagents are sourced from outside the country.
Msasi said the Ministry of Health is implementing directives from President Samia Suluhu Hassan to reduce medicine imports to below 50 percent by the year 2030. As part of that strategy, Health Minister Mohamed Mchengerwa is expected to meet with local and foreign investors interested in establishing medical supply and pharmaceutical manufacturing industries in Tanzania to discuss major policy and investment reforms.
He said an initial capacity assessment conducted in 2022 showed that Tanzania already has the ability to manufacture some medical supplies through existing factories industries.
Currently, local production includes selected medicines such as painkillers, antimalarial drugs, antibiotics, syringes, IV lines, and other hospital-use products, with plans underway to expand domestic manufacturing capacity.
