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This paper outlines the flows of private capital that lie behind the growth of the for-profit pharmaceutical sector in Tanzania. The paper analyses the policy, access and equity challenges posed by the shift to increasing private sector participation in medicine provision.

The Tanzanian drug policy highlights the government’s intention to ensure that quality, effective essential medicines reach all Tanzanians at an affordable price. However, the reality reflected by the document’s findings seems different: 

• the quality of medicines manufactured in Tanzania was often inadequate and lower than international standards
• drug stock-outs are common in Tanzanian health facilities, and it is quite possible that medicines intended for free distribution in the public sector are leaking onto the black market
• as a result, many Tanzanians pay out-of-pocket to retail pharmacists in order to access medicines, frequently impoverishing themselves further in the process
• the range of generics that local pharmaceutical manufacturers can produce is limited
• the sector suffers from poor industrial infrastructure and services, leading to high operating costs, in addition to its suffering from financial constraint.

The author presents the following recommendations:

• new legislation is needed to improve quality standards, implement TRIPS flexibilities in Tanzanian law, and tackle harmful counterfeit medicines entering the market
• attention should be given to training and skills development to address the human resources gap in the pharmaceutical sector
• adequate financing facilities for drug manufacturers should be ensured 
• industrial zones should be created where manufacturers can access quality infrastructure and services
• it essential that the government undertakes better monitoring with regards to effective distribution of medicine to health facilities across the country.
  

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