Preventing the Spread of Diseases and Antimicrobial Resistance in Tanzania

The USAID Medicines, Technologies, and Pharmaceutical Services (MTaPS) Program, led by MSH, marked the end of its successful six-year partnership with the Government of Tanzania—a collaboration that has made a lasting impact on the health of communities across the country.

This work complements and builds on MSH’s two decades of work in Tanzania focusing on improving access to quality medicines through neighborhood pharmacy shops, developing and improving health information systems to improve the management and delivery of HIV and AIDS services, and fighting antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

What We Did and Why It Matters

Over the past six years, we worked with our partners to do three critical things:

1. Strengthen pharmaceutical regulatory systems: We worked with the Tanzania Medicines and Medical Devices Authority to train assessors to bolster their technical skills, conduct workshops targeted at addressing a backlog of files, and streamline the medicine registration process. These efforts improved the availability of medicines while ensuring that they are safe and effective.
2. Improve medicine prescribing practices: MTaPS adapted the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Access, Watch, and Reserve (AWaRe) classification of antibiotics for Tanzania and integrated it into the national Standard Treatment Guidelines/National Essential Medicines List. It also worked with the Ministry of Health to support antimicrobial stewardship in 10 hospitals—ensuring that doctors prescribe the right medicines for the right diseases, which increases the likelihood that patients will recover and reduces drug-resistant bacteria. Drug-resistant bacteria is one part of AMR, a major global health concern. AMR directly resulted in the deaths of more than 1.3 million people in 2019, and a Lancet study released earlier this month estimates that 39 million people will die from AMR between 2025 and 2050.
3. Prevent the spread of diseases within hospitals and health facilities: We revised guidelines and procedures related to infection prevention and control (IPC), and provided trainings for health care workers to keep them up to speed on these vital measures. We also worked with more than 60 colleges to incorporate a revised IPC curriculum for the next generation of health care workers, and increased awareness of the importance of IPC through communications campaigns aimed at health facilities and communities. IPC is one of the key ways to prevent the spread of infectious diseases, and these protocols—such as proper hand washing, disinfection, and sterilization—keep patients and health care workers healthy. IPC is also a superhero in the fight against AMR, preventing hospital and health facility-acquired infections from happening in the first place.

“MTaPS has shown unparalleled leadership and dedication in the fight against antimicrobial resistance through financial and technical support in the implementation of antimicrobial stewardship programs from the national level to health facilities. Their pioneering efforts have not only saved lives but have also set a gold standard for innovation in health care in Tanzania, leaving a lasting legacy of progress and sustainability in the fight against antimicrobial resistance.”

Emiliana Francis, pharmacist and National Coordinator for Antimicrobial Resistance at the Ministry of Health

What’s Next

Tanzania has made remarkable progress in strengthening pharmaceutical systems. In particular, MTaPS made major strides in preventing the spread of disease and AMR. Future programs could build on this by:

• Fighting AMR by focusing on increasing private-sector engagement, including private pharmacies, drug dispensing outlets, and private health facilities
• Supporting the Tanzania Medicines and Medical Devices Authority to progress toward the next maturity level and work toward being globally recognized as performing at an advanced level
• Supporting the Tanzania Medicines and Medical Devices Authority to position itself as a regional center of excellence for medical devices regulation
• Working with the Ministry of Health to roll out the antimicrobial stewardship and IPC programs to more health facilities

Together, these efforts will lead to healthier people and communities.