ABSTRACT
Objective: A cross- sectional descriptive study was conducted to assess the quality standards of health facilities providing antiretroviral treatment (ART) in Dar es Salaam from May to July 2005. Methods: All ten health facilities (both public and private) already designated by Ministry of Health (MOH) to provide ART; six of them since October 2004 and four since May 2005; were included in the study purposively . The other two not designated were randomly picked and added. A checklist with the MOH required standards was used to assess the availability of infrastructure (equipment and staff) for provision of ART; and noted the number of patient eligible; started on ART and their follow ups. Results: The study findings indicated that there were inadequate trained personnel; inadequate laboratory equipments; inadequate antiretroviral drugs and isoniazed was under utilized. There were inadequate confidential places for counseling and information system was weak. Not all the eligible patients were able to start ART and comprehensive HIV care and treatment was not provided in all the designated facilities. Conclusion: Quality standards for providing ART in eligible health facilities in Dar es Salaam varied from facility to facility with better quality standards in facilities that were designated earlier than those designated later indicating a potential for improvement in future. However fast Improvement in staff training; infrastructure; equipment and drugs supplies; health management information system is needed if we are to treat estimated more than 400;00 HIV/AIDS patients by the year 2010
Subject(s)
HIV , Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome/therapy , Anti-Retroviral Agents/supply & distribution , Health Facilities/supply & distribution , Program EvaluationABSTRACT
Background: The number of antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) available to HIV/AIDS patients in Tanzania is increasing due to a number of intervention programs such as PEPFAR and the Clinton Foundation. These ARVs are imported from a number of countries. However; currently there are no reports on the quality of these medicines imported into Tanzania.The sale of substandard and counterfeit drugs has been well documented particularly in developing countries. The marketing of counterfeit and substandard antiretroviral drugs has also been widely reported in Africa. It is therefore important to closely monitor the quality of ARVs marketed in Tanzania to ensure that substandard or fake products are uncovered before great harm is done to public health.Objective: To assess the quality of ARVs marketed in Tanzania.Methodology: A total of five samples of two generic drugs (stavudine and indinavir) from different manufacturers were randomly collected from various retail pharmacies.Assessment of package inserts and labels was carried out using the Tanzania Food and Drugs Authority (TFDA) specifications. The capsules were analyzed for the content of the active components using validated in-house methodsResults: All samples of Indinavir and Stavudine investigated conformed to the packaging and labeling specifications. However; all Indinavir samples were found to contain excess amount of active ingredient (112.6- 118) compared to the official limit of 95 - 105. One sample of stavudine capsules failed the dissolution test; releasing only 56instead of the specified 80of the active ingredient. Conclusion: The results of this study emphasize the need for careful monitoring of the quality of drugs to ensure their safety and efficacy