Access to medicines and their appropriate use must be a core focus for any effort to strengthen health systems and to advance universal health coverage.Medicines and health commodities are one of six health system building blocks.Yet medicines and health technologies do not lie in isolation from the other components of a health system.A health systems approach to medicines facilitates the understanding of the system’s integral relations and connections, allowing for innovative and contextual responses where needed.
The policy and legal framework for the management of medicine in Tanzania provides guidance for the sector and is based on the National Health Policy, the National Medicines Policy (NMP) and its Masterplan, the National Essential Medicines List (NEML) and the regularly revised National Standard Treatment Guidelines (STG).
The ruling party manifesto emphasizes the constant availability of all essential health commodities. Big Results Now (2015-2020) targets ensuring 100% health commodities stock availability. The National Public Private Partnership Policy promotes public-private partnership in the pharmaceutical sector. HSSP IV emphasises the importance of well-stocked health facilities in terms of medicines, supplies and staff. Specifically, the plan aims at strengthening the management of medicines and health products and their supply systems at all levels.
HPSS supports the Government of Tanzania in realizing these objective
HPSS applies a multi-levelled strategy to strengthen the supply side of health care
During Phase 1 and 2 (2011 to 2019), HPSS strengthened the management of medicines and health supplies and related services so that vulnerable people can access the health care they need.